Just Someone To Hold
by Kayame Jones
Summary: Rejected by Koga for the last time, Ayame was accepted to be in the Inutachi for support and still hasn't gotten over Koga. What happens, though, when a certain hanyou falls in love with her? AyamexInuYasha COMPLETE!
1. Down The Mountain

Disclaimer: I will say this only once and will not say it again through this whole fic. I do not own InuYasha, and I am not doing this for any kind of profit whatsoever.

Story Summary: Rejected by Koga for the last time, Ayame was accepted to be in the Inu-tachi for support and still hasn't gotten over Koga. What happens, though, when a certain hanyou falls in love with her? (AyamexInuYasha)

Note: New ficcy! I seriously keep starting over and over, making new ficcies, giving up on old ones, and deleting them. Okay, I promise with my whole life this time, that I will not stop writing this ficcy! Never! Not until it is done! If I do stop, reviewers, please give me a slap on the head. )

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 1: DOWN THE MOUNTAIN**

The mountain gust blew over a cliff, where a young wolf demoness stood, staring at the clouds. Her stature was perfect. She was wearing white coat fur clothes and a white fur shoal, which danced in the wind. Her long brown hair was tied up into two pigtails, and a flower was wedged behind her ear. She had beautiful greenish eyes, which never failed to spot something from the distance. Her senses were always intact, and she was constantly alert.

Being the princess of the northern white coat wolf demon tribe, she had grown up in extensive training in the northern mountains. Years of living in this harsh, snowy climate had shaped her into a strong and agile fighter. She was among the strongest of the tribe and she had always lead the troop battles since she turned 13. Now a 16-year-old demoness, she stood there, never taking her eyes away from the moon. A big silver wolf joined the demoness, cuddling around her leg. The girl laughed.

"Rikitsu! That tickles!" She giggled. Rikitsu was her prize wolf. He was the strongest, largest, and fiercest wolf in the tribe. Rikitsu was always by his master's side no matter what, whether they were in battles, or when his master just needed some comfort.

"Ayame."

The young demoness turned around at the mention of her name. "What is it?"

"Your father needs to speak with you at the main den."

Ayame, the demoness, turned and began walking to the main den. That was where they would hold all the meetings and have the most important conversations concerning the tribe. That was also where she lived, along with her father (the king) and her young sister, Shobu. As she walked, the demons watching her were in awe. What was passing by them was a picture of stunning brilliance and awesome beauty. Ayame was truly the most beautiful demoness of the mountains.

"You called for me, father?" She slowly entered the den, finding her father sitting down on a pile of dead grass. He had a look of serious concern on his face, which made Ayame conclude that something bad had just happened.

"Ayame, my daughter," her father said in a low voice, "I'm afraid that our tribe is in real danger. The southern cat demons have decided to wage war with our tribe. Obviously, they are winning. With my old age, I cannot support battle troops and I cannot be in the battle. We need a much younger king to rule our tribe. Please find Koga and beg him to marry you. Do whatever it takes. Our tribe needs you."

Ayame looked away. She remembered the last time she had begged Koga to come with her. He rejected her for another woman, one more beautiful and she could sense the jewel shards. It's been months since that happened, but it was fresh in her mind like it happened yesterday. "But father, Koga has already declined my last request."

"Please go find him. He's our only hope."

She looked at her father's desperate face. In the corner, Shobu was sleeping quietly, cuddling up with Rikitsu, who had curled up beside her. Maybe going back down the mountains was the only choice. They had tried everything they could to restore peace and security to their tribe, but the conditions weren't improving. Hundreds of wolves and demons were getting killed by the day.

"All right, father, I'll at least try. When should I head off and leave?"

Her father smiled, knowing he could always trust his daughter. "Now."

* * *

"You rotten hanyou!"

"Looks like Koga and InuYasha are at it again..." Kagome was sweatdropping at the sight of the two demons fighting over her again. Curses could be heard. Dust and grass were flying everywhere. InuYasha had also resorted to using the Tetsusaiga and was now felling trees. It was ridiculous.

"She's mine, you stupid wolf! When will you learn?"

"Oh, and do you have any proof of that?"

"No! But I can convince you with my fist!"

"Guys! Stop!" Kagome ran in between the two, holding them both back and stopping the fight. "No one should fight over me. It's just plain dumb." She was sweatdropping the whole time, not really sure of what would really stop them from fighting. "Remember, our main concern is finding and killing Naraku, not who should have me."

"She's right, Koga," InuYasha said, relaxing a bit and sitting down on the ground. "We should try and find Naraku. Then when that's all done, I can show you that Kagome is not yours." He had a smirk on his face.

Koga was about to tense up again, and he growled at the remark. But then, he smelled something. It was familiar. He sat up straight, sniffing the air. _Oh no! She's coming!_ He moved back, preparing to run. "I gotta go, Kagome, I'll see you later!" He ran off, waving goodbye to the dumbstruck girl.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Feh." InuYasha snorted as he crossed his arms. "He's just being a coward. He doesn't want to fight me again because he knows this time I'll win."

* * *

Ayame began to pick up speed. She was almost at the bottom of the mountain and headed for the forest. Only a few more miles to go and she would be at the cave where Koga's tribe was settled. She gently touched the shobu flower on her head. She was the one who had named her younger sister after that flower. How she loved Shobu. _I hope she's safe when I come back._

She came to a stop as she reached the woods. She started walking around, trying to find Koga's tribe's waterfall. Then, all of a sudden, something bumped into her, making a huge crash and sent her flying. She was on the ground in an instant, rubbing her head.

"Oww..." She looked up to see who bumped into her. "Koga! Wow, what luck! Who knew I would find you this fast!"

Koga looked up from the fall and immediately looked at Ayame in fear. "Oh no! It's you!"

Ayame leaped up, giving Koga a big hug. "I missed you! All those months in the mountains without seeing you..." She held him tighter, causing him to choke a bit. "I'm here to take you back to the mountains and marry me!"

"Whoa! Not this again! Can't you let that silly promise of mine go? I don't even remember ever telling you this!"

"Please, Koga! The northern white coat wolf demon tribe really needs you! The southern cat tribe has been waging war with our tribe for the past few months and with my father being old, he can't command the troops and lead the battles and everything! I certainly can't do that all on my own! We need a young leader to help us in the war! You're our only hope!"

"No!" He burst out of her arms and moved back as fast as he could. "I am with Kagome, not you! I'm not interested in marrying you, not now or ever!"

Ayame's eyes shot wide open. The words echoed again and again in her head. She felt as if the world had suddenly come to a stop. _I'm not interested in marrying you, not now or ever! I'm not interested in marrying you, not now or ever!..._

"Koga..." her mouth opened to utter one word. A single tear rushed down her cheek. "...But you promised..." She stared at the demon in shock. _How could he? He made such a huge and important promise to me and he breaks it on purpose just for some stupid miko girl who could sense the Shikon no Kakera!_ She started running full speed away from Koga, her eyes closed. _How could he?_ was the only thing she could think of.

Her legs were burning. She never usually ran this fast before and her legs were exhausted and painful. Tears finally decided to rush down her cheeks as she miserably shot on. Then, a rather sharp branch hit her stomach and it sent her flying backwards, hitting a tree stump. She was in extreme pain. Her limp body was now on the ground. She was curled up in a tight ball, clutching her stomach wound, not daring to move. Tears were still streaming down her eyes.

* * *

It was almost dusk. Ayame's body was still curled up in the ground beside the tree stump she hit. She was losing more and more blood every second. Her legs were also bent out of shape from so much pain and running.

"Let's go to the onsen, Sango!" the voice of a young girl could be heard from the distance.

"Right behind you, Kagome!" another girl could be heard.

Sango and Kagome, after a long day of battling a village demon, had decided to relax and have a quick bath in the hot springs. They were running there to avoid getting seen by Miroku, who was bound to spy on them. As Kagome was running, she came to a stop, seeing Ayame's miserable body. She bent down and looked at her tear-stained face.

"Ayame-chan?" she whispered quietly in a concerned tone. "Is that you?" She gently shook her body. "Sango! Take a look at this!"

Sango came up to the girls and gasped at the sight. "She looks like she's been in a fight with someone like Naraku!"

"She's in a terrible condition. She's alive and awake, but she's so stunned she can't move at all. We'll have to bring her back to the hut so she can get some rest," Kagome suggested.

"So much for our hot spring bath," Sango sighed disappointedly.

END OF CHAPTER

Note: So how was it? Guys, please R+R and tell me what you think! I know the pairing is a bit unusual, and I don't care if you flame me. But I could use some constructive criticism and some comments. Thanks! New chapter to come soon in a few days! I promise!


	2. A Bath In The Hot Springs

Author's Note: Wow, I bet you guys are thinking "This was faster than I expected from Kayame!" Well, I'm a bit obsessed right now, so fics will come faster than usual... sweatdrops

In The Previous Chapter: Koga has rejected Ayame. Feeling betrayed, Ayame runs away, getting injured from a tree branch. Kagome and Sango found her body while running to the onsens and decided to bring her back to the hut to take care of her.

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 2: A BATH IN THE HOT SPRINGS**

It was dawn when Ayame opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep when this strange two-tailed demon carried her and the two girls to the hut. She found herself lying on a straw bed, covered in a smooth, soft blanket. There was an old woman next to her. She had grey hair and was wearing a miko outfit. Ayame tried to sit up.

"Oww.." But the pain from her stomach wound had come back and it forced her to lie back down.

"Are ye okay, child?" the old woman asked. "Ye must not be so anxious to get up. Ye must first rest and regain your energy." She was mixing some things in a pot over a burning fire. She then took a bowl and filled it with stew. She handed it to Ayame. "Take this."

After taking a sip, Ayame drew back with a disgusted face. "Ugh! What is this stuff?"

"It is a stew made of certain healing herbs, child. Ye must take if you are to get well." the woman forced it into Ayame's mouth, who was wriggling in terror. No matter how much Ayame kicked and cursed, the woman's patience was still high. "I must go attend to some things. I will get Kagome to care for ye right now." She placed the bowl of stew beside Ayame's head and headed out the door. Moments later, Kagome entered the hut and sat beside Ayame.

"Hi," she greeted warmly. "Are you okay? What happened to you?"

Ayame could recognize Kagome's scent. She made another disgusted face. "You're the girl who stole Koga away from me!"

"Umm..." Kagome didn't know what to say. "You didn't answer my question. What happened to you?"

"Nothing! It's none of your business!" Ayame closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. She didn't want to see or talk to this miko girl. She was in enough pain to face that Koga had left her for good. "Stupid girl..." she mumbled.

Kagome spotted the bowl of stew that Kaede had placed beside Ayame. She picked it up and grabbed a spoon. "Here, you need to finish this."

"No! I'm not listening to you! Not after how you made me suffer!"

Kagome was silent for a moment. She really didn't know what to say. Maybe some of this was her fault. She had to go and meet Koga, did she? Now a poor girl was suffering._ Then again, this is not the time to think about this stuff. I need to take care of Ayame right now! That's the most important thing!_ She tried to give the bowl to the demoness. "Eat it! You really need it!"

"No, I don't! I can handle myself on my own!" Ayame scoffed and turned so she didn't have to face Kagome. "I'm the princess of the northern white coat wolf demon tribe. I'm one of the strongest in the pack. I think I can take care of myself, thank you." She closed her eyes once more.

"All right..." Kagome hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should leave Ayame like this in such a bad condition. But if that was what she wanted... Kagome sat back against the wall. She would stay with Ayame until she got better. She grabbed a textbook from her backpack and began studying.

* * *

InuYasha walked in the hut, and seeing Kagome and Ayame there, he sat down in a quiet corner. "What ya doin' there, Kagome?"

"I'm waiting for Ayame to wake up so she can have some of the stew," Kagome replied.

"Why do you even bother to help that girl anyway? I bet she hates you for 'stealing' Koga away from her."

"Yeah, I bet she does, too. But I'm a miko. It's my duty to take care of the injured."

At that moment, Ayame grunted and woke up. She sat up with a bit of difficulty and rubbed her eyes. Some of the pain in her stomach was still there, and she would wince from the pain once in a while. "Have I been sleeping the whole day?"

"Yeah, it's almost sunset," Kagome answered. "How about taking that bowl of stew now? I can tell you haven't been eating in two days."

"Don't you guys have anything else? Like fish or something?"

InuYasha let out a growl, though not looking at Ayame. "Shut up and eat it. It's good for you. Besides, it's the only food we have. You're lucky we even agreed to take care of you. So stop bein' so damn ungrateful and just take the stupid thing."

Ayame stared at InuYasha. Something in her was telling her to listen to him. "Um... alright, then." She took slow and tiny sips of the stew. It wasn't very pleasant, that's for sure. But she was very hungry and she knew she needed alot of food if she was to recover.

Kagome smiled when Ayame finished. "Good. Now, my friend, Sango, and I are planning to head down to the onsens tonight. If you're well enough in a few hours, we could take you down with us. Do you want to come? It'll be relaxing."

"Umm..." Ayame hesitated. She really didn't want to spend time with this girl. But a quick dip in the onsens didn't sound so bad, either. It would be relaxing and good for her wound. "Okay, fine."

* * *

Ayame had gotten so much better in the next few hours. She could now stand and walk, but it had to be done slowly, so her wound wouldn't reopen. She, Kagome, and Sango were preparing now to go to the onsens and have a quiet bath.

"InuYasha, please make sure Miroku doesn't follow us," Sango requested, giving Miroku a death glare. Miroku was sitting cross-legged in the corner, not even showing hints of wanting to spy on them. But Sango was suspicious. She knew how crafty this perverted monk could be.

As soon as they had gotten to the onsen, Ayame immediately began bathing in the opposite side of the spring. Sango and Kagome looked at her. Sango leaned in, whispering, "She really doesn't like you, does she, Kagome?"

"No." Kagome sat back. "She really thinks I took Koga away from her on purpose. But I don't even have feelings for the guy." She sighed. The Sengoku Jidai had to be so complicated. She thought all she would ever have to do was find the Shikon no Kakera and it would all be over. So many other things had to happen.

In the other side of the onsen, Ayame leaned back on a rock and sighed peacefully. She hadn't had this much relaxation in a long time. Training in the mountains was hard, and you could hardly find opportunities like these up there. She watched silently as Sango and Kagome waded towards her. "What do you want? Can't you see I need some alone time?" she asked coldly.

"Ayame, I wanted to make it clear that I did not intend to steal Koga away from you," Kagome said. "Please don't hate me. None of this was my fault."

Ayame looked down at the waters and saw her reflection. Her face was ruined, with scratches all over her cheeks and her eyes were still a bit swollen from all the crying. She looked horrible. This was all Koga's doing. She started crying again.

"What's wrong?" Sango asked.

Ayame never would've guessed what came next, but she felt she could tell these strangers everything. "All I wanted was someone to love and hold... Why is that so wrong?" She sobbed even harder, tears dripping onto the warm onsen water. "Look at me. I'm so shameful. I followed love a little too much and look what happened to me."

"Tell us everything that happened, Ayame," Kagome said softly. She felt so sorry for Ayame. She was desperately heartbroken from a lifelong crush. Now she wanted to do everything she could to comfort her and be there with her as a good friend and a confidante.

"Our tribe is in huge danger and I came back down here to find Koga and marry him. He is our only hope of survival. If we do not get a strong leader soon, the cat tribe, who is waging war with us, may kill us all." Ayame sobbed and sniffed as she told the story. "I found Koga and asked him once again to join me up in the mountains, but he rejected me, saying he will never be interested in marrying me. Not now, not ever. It made me upset and shocked that he would break such a promise on purpose."

Sango and Kagome both had sympathetic looks on their faces. Sango had taken the initiative to wade beside Ayame and pat her. "It's all right. We know how you feel. You've loved Koga your whole life. He made a promise to you that he should've kept. But he broke it."

Kagome looked down. She felt all this was partly her fault. _If only I had never broken the Shikon no Tama, none of this disaster would happen. How can I make it up to Ayame?_ Then it hit her. "Ayame, we want to be your friends and we want to support you. Do you want to join our team in looking for Naraku?"

"I can't..." Ayame sniffed. "I have to go back to my tribe when I'm completely healed so I can protect my people again."

"Well, we can go with you there to fight," Kagome said reassuringly. "We'll help you through tough times, never forget that." She smiled.

Ayame smiled back. Kagome finally seemed like a nice girl to her. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. Maybe this was all Koga's fault, not hers. She decided that giving this girl a chance was something that she was now willing to do.

END OF CHAPTER

* * *

Note: How did you like that chapter? It wasn't very long... sorry... but next chapter coming soon! Promise! Buh bye! Don't forget to R+R:D 


	3. Back To The Mountains

Note: Thanks for the reviews, guys! I really appreciated that! So now Kayame Jones has written another chapter of her story! Yay:D

In The Previous Chapter: During a bath in the onsens, Ayame, Kagome and Sango had been talking. After telling them everything about her tribe and her problems, Ayame has come to trust Kagome (kind of) and is at least willing to give her a chance.

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 3: BACK TO THE MOUNTAINS**

"We're back!" Kagome called out as she and Ayame and Sango walked in the hut. They had a relaxing time at the onsens, talking and chatting the night away. But it was getting late and they had to go back to bed. Miroku and InuYasha were still sitting down on opposite sides of the hut, looking around and whistling as innocently as they could.

Sango's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she shot another glare at Miroku. "Houshi-sama..." she said quietly, "Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that you spied on us while we were bathing?"

Miroku tried to look innocent and shot Sango a confused look. "Why, Sango! I don't believe you would think that of me!"

Sango rolled her eyes. "C'mon! You know you wanted to spy on us!"

Miroku shook his head, pretending he didn't know what Sango was talking about. "Do you actually expect that type of behaviour to come from me?" He pointed a questioning finger at himself.

"Yes! I do!" Sango said a bit louder than she intended, putting her hands on her waist. She turned to InuYasha. He would know if he spied or not. "InuYasha, did he?"

InuYasha's eyes were closed the whole time. His ear twitched and he opened one eye. "Yeah. The little lecher thought I was asleep and snuck out. I wasn't though, and he ended up having to stay here the whole time." He turned his back to them. "Feh. Let me get my sleep."

"You pervert!" Sango yelled at Miroku and gave him a huge slap on the face. Miroku remained sitting, rubbing his slap mark.

"What are all their names, Kagome?" Ayame whispered. She had forgotten that she stayed in this hut for an entire day, yet she still didn't know all of their names. Kagome introduced them all to Ayame.

Ayame yawned and sat down slowly on the straw bed. "Well, I better get to sleep. G'night, guys." She lay down and almost closed her eyes before speaking again. "Before I forget, I have to tell you all that I'm going back to the mountains tomorrow."

"So soon?" Sango asked. "Are you sure you can get there with that stomach wound?"

"Yeah," Ayame replied. "I'm a demon, remember? My wounds heal fast."

"We could go with you," Kagome offered, remembering her promise. "And we'll all stay there until the cat demons are gone and your tribe is safe. We'll help protect your people."

Ayame hesitated. "What about these two?" She pointed to Miroku and InuYasha.

"Why, that would be a great idea," Miroku agreed to the proposal. "InuYasha?"

InuYasha had his head turned, but his ear was twitching. "Feh. What's in this for me?" He crossed his arms and tried to go back to sleep.

"InuYasha!" Kagome yelled. "Ayame's our friend! We have to help her whether you like it or not!And if you don't... Osuwari!"

InuYasha's head hit the ground, resulting in a huge mark on the ground. "Oww..." He slowly lifted his head, revealing a dirt-covered face. "What was that for!"

"For being so rude!"

InuYasha snorted. "Fine! We'll all go to the mountains tomorrow for Ayame!" He closed his eyes, mumbling to himself, "Why can't she protect her tribe on her own... Weakling..."

* * *

The next morning was a busy one. The group had awoken to find the nearby village being attacked by a huge centipede demon. Kagome and InuYasha ran to the scene first. InuYasha growled, holding Tetsusaiga by the hilt and preparing to draw it. "This guy shouldn't be so tough." 

The others including Kaede came moments after Kagome and InuYasha had arrived. Ayame did not waste time. She immediately leaped at the demon and kicked with all her force. She had managed to bring it down, but one of its legs hit her stomach and her wound reopened. Ayame was forced to fall back to the ground, holding her wound tightly. Sango and Kagome ran to her.

"InuYasha! Finish that thing off! Sango and I will take care of Ayame!" Kagome commanded.

InuYasha nodded. In an instant, Tetsusaiga was transformed and he was already swinging it at the demon. The demon split in two.

"Ayame, you shouldn't have fought when you know you have a recovering wound," Kagome said quietly, unbandaging her stomach all over again.

"Well, you guys weren't fighting it! I knew I had to!" Ayame yelled, cringing in pain.

Kagome worked on cleaning the wound and bandaging it all over again. "I'm not sure if you can still go back home in this condition."

"I can so!" Ayame said. "My tribe needs me! I need to get back there! Hurt or not!"

"Spoken like a true leader, Ayame," Sango said softly. "Go to sleep. You'll need rest for tonight." Ayame agreed and closed her eyes.

* * *

That evening, the Inu-tachi was set to go. Ayame had already woken up and Kagome had insisted on InuYasha carrying her. It took a bit of persuading, but InuYasha finally did let Ayame lie on his back. Sango and everyone else sat on Kirara. They were ready. 

As they flew, they talked along the way. Kagome and Ayame were doing most of the talking, though. Kagome had been asking questions about her tribe and how life was like before the wars started. Ayame had provided excellent detail about the fresh snow up there and how she and her sister, Shobu, always used to hunt little rabbits for supper.

InuYasha found himself paying attention to the story... and Ayame's scent. _She smells pretty good. Better than Kagome._ His eyes shot wide open at the thought. _Why am I saying this? I barely know anything about Ayame!_ He shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of his head. _Damn... I feel like I'm turning into Miroku._

* * *

The tribe's territory was reduced to nothing but smoke and ashes when they got there. The sky was red from all the toxic air. The snow had melted, revealing patches of singed dead grass. Ayame gasped at the sight. _How..?_ InuYasha walked around, allowing Ayame to see what more was left of her tribe. 

"Father!" she called out. He had to be alive here someplace. The sight of her home looking like this distressed her. She held on to InuYasha tighter. "Father, are you here!" She thought about her friends and family. Were they safe? Speaking of family... _Shobu!_ "InuYasha, please go in that den over there." She pointed at the main den. She had to see if Shobu was okay. _Please let her be alive!_

As InuYasha entered the main den, Ayame's eyes widened even more and she let out a gasp. A small wolf demon girl lay motionless on a straw bed. "Shobu!" Ayame gasped. She jumped off of InuYasha and approached the girl's body. She was pale and cold. Beside her head was a pool of blood that was rushing out of her head.

InuYasha stood there, a wave of sympathy for Ayame passing through him. The others, still on Kirara, also went in the den. Sango felt as if she would cry. She knew exactly what Ayame was going through. She went through the same thing a few months back when her village had been destroyed by Naraku.

Ayame's eyes were tear-filled as she hugged the body of what was once her beloved sister. "I know who did this to you, Shobu..." she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks and falling onto her sister's pale face. "It was those stupid cat demons! They attacked! I know it! The tribe wasn't even strong enough!" She broke out into loud, uncontrollable sobs.

InuYasha frowned. "I don't smell any cat demons that came here, Ayame," he said, sniffing the air. "I smell..." He stopped dead. His eyes narrowed at the very stench. "Naraku," he growled, baring his fangs.

The Inu-tachi was surprised. Naraku? Sango jumped off Kirara and walked up to Ayame. "You mean to say this is another one of Naraku's evil tricks?" she asked InuYasha.

The hanyou was positive. The very mention of his name made his blood boil. He was ready to kill Naraku even if it meant helping to protect this weakling, Ayame. He clenched his fists. "He did this only a short while ago. His scent is still lingering."

"Where am I going to go now?" Ayame cried. "My tribe is all gone! I don't have any place to stay!"

"InuYasha, you look distressed," Kagome observed. "Is anything the matter?"

"Naraku." InuYasha replied silently as he let Ayame onto his back again. "What does he have against people who know nothing about his existence? Thinking about it makes me boil."

Ayame held on to him tightly. "He's an evil creature, considering what he had done to my tribe. We never did anything to him." Her still moving tears splattered on InuYasha's robe and she leaned her head on his back. She needed some comfort. After being rejected by Koga and getting her tribe killed, all she needed was something to lean on.

END OF CHAPTER

* * *

Note: Nope, InuYasha still doesn't like Ayame here. But he did feel great sympathy for her! That's a start! Once again, I can't thank you guys enough for the reviews! Thanks! Thanks! And thanks! Please R+R again on this chapter! I really appreciate it! Next chapter coming up soon! 


	4. Confusion

Note: Here you go! Fourth chapter! Wow, I'm moving pretty fast! I'm getting obsessed with this fic. Write, proofread, upload, publish. It's something I can't resist. Yeah, you think I'm a freak. Thanks. Thanks again for the reviews, all! Please keep reviewing and please read this chapter! Oh, and if I stop writing for a while, it's because my cousins are coming to visit soon and I'll probably be busy going to places with them or something. It'll only take two weeks, so it shouldn't be that long. I know you guys can wait. (sweatdrops)

In The Previous Chapter: The Inu-tachi to to the mountains with Ayame to help defend her tribe. But when they got there, Naraku had already destroyed the place! Kagome invites Ayame to join the team and she accepts, not knowing where to stay otherwise.

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 4: CONFUSION**

No one could sleep a wink that night. Everyone had been tossing and turning in their own corner of the tent, thinking about the evening's events. Ayame, especially, couldn't close her eyes. She kept thinking about the times when she and Shobu used to sleep together in Shobu's little straw bed just because she was afraid of the dark. Ayame shed a single tear. She missed Shobu. She could still feel her tiny arm on her face, which Shobu had the bad habit of doing. She sighed and walked out of the tent.

"InuYasha?" Ayame said upon finding InuYasha sitting on a rock. "What are you doing here?"

"Feh." InuYasha replied. "I just couldn't sleep, that's all."

"Mind if I join you?" she asked. InuYasha shrugged and made room for her on the rock as she sat beside him. "You know," she started, looking at the moon, "This night reminds me of the lunar rainbow, when Koga made that promise to me." She sat back, still not taking her eyes away from the beautiful moon and sighed. "I wish Koga would've kept that promise."

InuYasha let out a small chuckle. "I can't believe how nice I am to you when I say this, but there's another man for you out there. Just go and look for that man. But then again, who knows? He might be right under your nose."

Ayame looked at InuYasha. Something about his words made her feel comforted. She smiled and said, "The day I met you, I thought you were just another stuck up demon. But after that, I think you're not as bad as you seem. Maybe you could be a good friend of mine someday. Who knows?"

InuYasha shrugged. He could've really told her off about how he would never be her friend, but he really didn't feel like it at that moment. He got up and walked back in the tent, leaving Ayame to think on her own.

* * *

The sun had risen. Everyone got out of the tent, yawning. No one was able to sleep a wink. They found Ayame still sitting on the rock. Sango went up to her, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to come with me and Miroku? We're going to go bury the dead and honor them."

Ayame didn't look at Sango. She would have gone without hesitating, but she didn't want to face the destroyed territory again, not if it brought memories of Shobu back. "No, it's okay. I'd much rather stay here."

Sango nodded, gave her friend a small hug, and left for the mountain with Kirara and Miroku. Ayame stayed seated on the rock. Kagome noticed that Ayame had been there all night. She went up to her and said softly, "I know how you feel, Ayame. This is too much for you to bear. First, getting rejected by Koga, now this." She, like Sango, hugged Ayame.

"Hey, Kagome!" A familiar voice suddenly cut in their conversation. Ayame turned her head to find it was Koga. She turned her head away snobbishly. "Where's dogface?" he asked.

Kagome sweatdropped. "Don't call him dogface, Koga. He..."

Koga interrupted by taking Kagome's hands into his own and staring at her deeply. "We should run away together, away from InuTrasha. What do you say, Kagome?"

"Uh... well... uh..."

"Perfect!" He took Kagome in his arms and took her away in an instant, ignoring Ayame. She had been trying to look away, pretending not to care. But she was jealous, no doubt about it. It was obvious, written all over her face.

At that moment, InuYasha came skidding by with an angry look on his face. "I smell the wolf! Which way did he go?" he asked Ayame in a loud voice.

Ayame sighed and pointed to where Koga went. "He took Kagome away." She crossed her arms and pouted.

InuYasha was suddenly amused at Ayame's pouting face. He chuckled quietly. Realizing he just did something really out of character, he straightened up a bit. "Wanna come with me? You'll get to see Koga," he offered, preparing to give her another piggyback ride.

"Eh, why not?" Ayame said, jumping onto InuYasha's back. There was always the possibility she would get to tell Koga off after what he did to her. "Let's go!" InuYasha began to run and jump through the woods as Ayame hung on tight.

* * *

"Kagome, I will marry you," Koga said with determination in his eyes. He was sure he would win against the half-breed and finally get his feelings returned by Kagome. They both sat in Koga's cave, his arms wrapped around her. "What do you say we get married now?"

Kagome tried to smile and be happy. The whole time she was uncomfortable. _Why doesn't Koga ever get the hint?_ "Uh, I'm sure that would be nice, Koga, but I ..."

"You will?" Koga interrupted her blindly. "Great! We will get married tonight!"

"What?" A voice said coming from the entrance of the cave. There stood Ayame and InuYasha. Ayame was even more heartbroken than she was before. She couldn't believe what Kagome was doing. She was allowing Koga to marry her! Her face had the word 'hurt' written all over it. "Kagome, I never knew this would happen. I never knew you wanted to marry Koga all along! I thought you were going to be my friend! Friends don't steal their friend's fiances!" With that, she ran off tearfully.

"Wait! Ayame!" InuYasha ran after her. _Damn, why am I being so damn nice to her? Maybe she was right last night. Maybe we would be good friends someday._ He caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Kagome didn't mean anything like that," he began.

"Well, I'm pretty sure she did!" Ayame snapped, tears running down her eyes. "She betrayed me, InuYasha! She told me that she had no feelings for Koga whatsoever! But if she doesn't, how can you explain the fact that she just accepted to Koga's proposal of marriage!" She looked down shamefully. She didn't want to look anyone in the eye right now.

InuYasha put his arm back and thought about it. _Could Ayame be right? Why would Kagome accept Koga's proposal?_ He looked at Ayame, though she wasn't looking at him. "You could be right... I'm not sure... But Kagome would never do that to me..." He paused. "Or would she...?" He was so confused. Normally, he would trust Kagome but something was making him act differently since the day Ayame came.

Ayame let out a little giggle amid her tears. InuYasha looked at her, puzzled. She looked up to meet his yellow eyes. "I'm too emotional sometimes, don't you think, InuYasha?" she said jokingly. "I cry too much. Maybe I should stop..." She sighed and wiped her last tear from her eye.

"So are you okay now?"

"Yep. I'm just... a little jealous, that's all."

"You still love Koga... that mangy wolf... Why do you love him anyway?"

"Well," Ayame thought for a moment. _How can I put it all into words?_ "He promised he would marry me one day. I thought he really meant it. He's brave, kind at times..." Her voice trailed off as she kept talking and talking about Koga's assets. "But I guess now, I don't really have feelings for him anymore. The best way to move in this situation is to just be happy for him and Kagome."

InuYasha nodded.

Ayame smiled. "I'm glad I can talk to you about this stuff, InuYasha. I know we don't really know each other very well, and we've only been acquainted for a few days, but when I talk to you like this, it's like I've known you for years. I have this connection to you that I've never felt with anyone else. It's like..."

"We were meant to be friends?" InuYasha finished. He didn't know why, but now that Ayame mentioned it, he felt the same way. He smiled back at her. He felt like Ayame was Kagome. But he could be more open to her, and he was more likely to have a listening ear whenever she needed someone to talk to.

"I feel like taking a short walk. If you want, you can go back to Kagome or sort things out by yourself."

"No," InuYasha said. "I'll carry you so your stomach won't hurt again. Besides, I can't leave you alone. You're wounded and vulnerable to any demons that may want to attack." He settled her on his back once again and he began to walk deeper and deeper into the woods.

After a long period of silence, Ayame finally spoke up, "The snow in the mountains used to be around a couple meters tall. Shobu and I used to play in the snow and make snow angels all day. We used to hunt rabbits for supper, too."

"You miss Shobu, eh, Ayame?" InuYasha said, looking at Ayame from the corner of his eye.

Ayame sighed. "Sure do."

InuYasha turned back to Koga's cave as they talked on. He wanted to straighten things out, if Kagome really wanted to marry Koga or not.

* * *

"Koga, I'm not sure if InuYasha would agree to this..." Kagome tried to explain. But Koga cut her off again.

"Who cares about that mutt? The important thing is, we're finally together and getting married." He leaned in and gave her a big kiss.

At that moment, InuYasha came in the cave with Ayame on his back. He gasped at the sight. "Kagome?" His eyes couldn't get any wider. Ayame, too, was frozen in shock. Anger coursed through her. She kicked and screamed, forcing InuYasha to drop her. She leaped at Kagome, attempting to attack her.

She tried to scratch and hurt Kagome, but Koga was protecting her. He held her back. As Ayame tried desperately to get free of his grip, she started to weaken and she started crying.

"No one takes Koga away from me!" she wailed.

"Are you crazy?" Koga yelled. "I already told you I wouldn't take you for my bride!"

Ayame fought back, tears streaming down her eyes. She obviously wasn't winning. But after a few minutes, she did manage to scratch Kagome's leg. It began bleeding and Kagome grabbed on to it. "InuYasha!" she yelped, running to him for protection.

InuYasha did nothing but look at her coldly. "Why don't you go run to Koga? Since he's your new husband, I'm sure he'll help you out." He grabbed Ayame and ran back to camp with her, leaving Kagome in shock.

* * *

Ayame was still crying when she and InuYasha returned to camp. The sky was already darkening and Miroku and Sango were already back, sitting quietly in the tent and sipping some tea. Sango looked up and saw Ayame sobbing madly, InuYasha's arm around her. Her eyes widened and she ran up to her.

"What happened, Ayame?" she asked, also putting her arm around Ayame.

InuYasha looked at Ayame sympathetically, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Something with Koga. Don't worry about it, Sango. I can handle it," he replied. He walked away with Ayame, taking her to the rock they were sitting on the night before.

Miroku blinked, staring at InuYasha and Ayame. "Eh?" he remarked to Sango. "I see InuYasha has made friends with Ayame-chan already?" He looked at Sango as she smiled slightly. "Best to leave them alone for a while."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame was still crying her eyes out. InuYasha was sitting beside her, looking at the sunset. "It's okay, Ayame..." he began, trying to comfort her. He really wasn't good at this. He hadn't done it alot to Kagome or anyone.

"No, it's not..." Ayame sniffed. "Kagome betrayed me. She lied to me... She said she didn't even have feelings for Koga!" She covered her face in shame.

"I loved Kagome..." InuYasha said slowly. "But.. after that..." He paused for a few moments.

Ayame looked up at him, wanting to know what he was going to tell her.

"I don't think I love her anymore."

END OF CHAPTER

* * *

Note: Okay, a lot of people were out of character there. I'm really sorry about that. No! They still do not like each other! Not even close! They're still just good friends, and I guess it just strengthened more when Kagome "betrayed" Ayame. I know InuYasha was really out of character there. He would never stop loving Kagome. Never. But we do have to make this story work, people. Please R+R! Thanks for reviews. 


	5. Ayame Over Kagome?

**Note: Chapter 5 coming right up! Thanks for the reviews! And Kiyana Va Sala, thanks for the suggestion about Miroku! I'm using that one for this chapter. **

**In The Previous Chapter: Koga took Kagome away and decided to marry her. As he was kissing Kagome, Ayame and InuYasha saw them and felt betrayed. Now Ayame is crying and InuYasha is doing his best to try and comfort her. InuYasha also felt betrayed and started ignoring Kagome when she asked for his help at Koga's cave.**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 5: AYAME OVER KAGOME?**

**The following day was awkward for Kagome. When she got back to camp, she saw nothing but Ayame and InuYasha staring at her coldly. She didn't mind Ayame much, but InuYasha was really bugging her. It seemed to her that InuYasha was changing. He didn't trust her as much starting the last few days and it really worried her.**

**She walked up to him as they were having lunch and offered him some ramen. He shrugged and turned around, looking away from her. "What's wrong, InuYasha?" she asked. "Are you still mad over what happened yesterday?" InuYasha didn't say anything. "InuYasha, I swear I don't like Koga! I didn't even agree to marrying him!"**

**"Then why were you kissing him?" InuYasha said coldly.**

**"He kissed me! What was I supposed to do?" Kagome yelled.**

**"Kagome, tell me the truth." He turned to face Kagome. He looked into her eyes before asking his question. "Did you like the kiss?"**

**Kagome turned into a shade of bright red and stammered. "Well, uh... I, uh... I..."**

**InuYasha's eyes widened. "You did like it! Kagome! How could you!" he snapped as he walked away quickly. _How could she like it?_ Questions rushed through his mind. Was Kagome being loyal to him all along when it came to Koga? He was walking so fast, asking himself so many questions, that he didn't notice Ayame.**

**"InuYasha, what's wrong?" she tried to stop him when he passed by. "Did something happen? Tell me."**

**The hurt in InuYasha's eyes was obvious when he looked at Ayame. He felt weak, like he was going to die. Ayame saw tears in his eyes. He stared at her for a few moments, then he turned around and ran away into the woods.**

**_How can Kagome do this to me? I loved her! When I said I didn't love her anymore last night, I didn't actually mean it. I thought I would actually get over that once I saw her again. But... she... she likes Koga!_ He frowned at the thought._ Now I really mean what I said last night..._**

**

* * *

****Ayame was doing the laundry, thinking about what had happened yesterday. She still couldn't believe what happened between Koga and Kagome. And she couldn't believe the look on InuYasha's face that morning. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Miroku coming up to her.**

**"Hello there, Ayame-chan," he greeted her.**

**Ayame looked at him and smiled. "Hey, Miroku," she said, continuing to hang the sheets and clothes.**

**There was a long period of silence until Miroku broke it. "Kagome told me about what happened yesterday with Koga..." He watched as Ayame nodded absentmindedly. "I'm really sorry for you. Sango also knows and she's concerned about how this will affect you. Are you alright?"**

**"Yeah..." Ayame answered quietly. She turned her head to see InuYasha when he was walking by. "Thanks for your support, Miroku." she smiled at him. "I have to go see if InuYasha's okay." She left Miroku and the laundry and ran up to InuYasha.**

**"Can you tell me what's going on?" she asked, irritated. "I hate to see people like this."**

**"Kagome!" he roared, losing his temper. Ayame stepped back a little. "I can't believe she liked the kiss!"**

**Ayame frowned. "She did, did she?" Her face was filled with disappointment and hurt at InuYasha's words. "So, are they going to go ahead and get married or something?"**

**At that moment, Sango rushed to them in her taiji-ya outfit. She was on Kirara. "Guys! A nearby village is being attacked!" She urged Ayame and Miroku to hop on and they flew away. InuYasha followed close behind, still mumbling curses at Kagome and Koga.**

**

* * *

When they arrived in the action, they saw a huge monkey demon killing villagers and demolishing huts. Miroku and Ayame jumped off Kirara and prepared to attack. InuYasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga, and Sango grabbed hold of her hiraikotsu. Kagome and Shippou also caught up to them, noticing that there was trouble.**

**"Miroku! You and I will help these villagers!" Kagome commanded. "Shippou, you help us!" The three of them rushed to the wounded villagers and tried to do everything they could to heal them. But while running, the monkey demon had caught Kagome and threw her to the ground.**

**"Kagome!" Sango exclaimed in alarm.**

**Ayame threw her sharp leaves at the monkey in an attempt to kill it. But it dodged her attacks and sent attacks flying toward Ayame. It also somehow shot attacks at Kagome.**

**"InuYasha!" Kagome screamed for help. InuYasha looked at Kagome, then at Ayame. They were both in danger.**

**Ayame was about to dodge the attacks, when InuYasha came and swept her away from the path of the attacks. Kagome stared, dumbfounded. So did everyone else. _InuYasha chose to save Ayame over Kagome?_ Everyone was shocked.**

**"Are you alright?" InuYasha asked Ayame when they landed. Kagome was hit by the attacks and she screamed helplessly.**

**"I'm alright," Ayame sighed. "But you could've saved Kagome! You know I was going to dodge those attacks!"**

**"Feh," InuYasha replied. "At least be grateful." He sent a Kaze no Kizu at the monkey demon and that ended the fight. He sheathed his sword again and said another "feh."**

**Sango ran to Kagome to help her with her wounds. Miroku went up to InuYasha and said quietly, "InuYasha, why did you choose to protect Ayame over Kagome? I've never seen you put someone else above Kagome!" he gasped. It was true. InuYasha had never put anyone else above Kagome, and everyone thought he never would.**

**"Ah, shut up, monk," InuYasha said loudly. "Kagome will heal soon enough." He walked away from the village, leaving everyone else staring at him in shock.**

**_Could it be?_ Kagome thought._ InuYasha doesn't care about me anymore?_ She thought about it as she winced from the pain. She looked at Ayame. _Is InuYasha starting to like her or something?_**

**END OF CHAPTER

* * *

****Note: Once again, thanks for the reviews, everyone! Sorry this chapter's so short. My relatives are coming soon and we have to get the house all ready and everything. (sweatdrops) Please review on this chapter, too! Next chapter coming up real soon, I promise. Bye all:)**


	6. Trapped In A Cave

**Note: Awww, thanks so much for the reviews, guys! You make me blush. Lol! And just so you guys know, I don't hate Kagome or anything! Actually, she's one of my favourite characters. (sweatdrops) Anyways, enough with the chit chat. Chapter 6 coming up!**

**In The Previous Chapter: InuYasha is finally over Kagome after they had a talk about the kiss. But when both Ayame and Kagome were in danger, InuYasha chose to save Ayame instead. (Dun dun dun!)**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 6: TRAPPED IN A CAVE**

**Kagome needed answers. She ran up to InuYasha as he walked away, grabbing his arm. "I need you to tell me what's going on with you and Ayame!" she said urgently.**

**"There's nothing going on!" he yelled and pulled his arm back.**

**"InuYasha, I'm not stupid," Kagome said. "I've seen how you act around her ever since she came to us. You were a better friend to her than you ever were to me! And since when do you get this upset when Koga decides to marry me?"**

**InuYasha let out an irritated sigh. "Kagome, I'm not sure how I feel about you anymore. I saw how you were with Koga. That's not the kind of girl that I want." He walked away. She just stood there, staring at him.**

**"Fine!" she yelled. "If you don't want me here, I'll go home!" With that, she stormed away to the Bone Eater's Well and disappeared.**

**

* * *

****That evening turned out to be really hot. Ayame was sitting down on the grass, staring at the stream waters in front of her. She sighed. How lucky Kagome was. She would give anything to have Koga always coming after her and fighting InuYasha just to be with her. She looked down sadly. Why was she always the unlucky one?**

**She didn't notice that InuYasha was there until he sat down beside her. He looked at the water and frowned. "Whatcha looking at there, Ayame?"**

**"Nothing." she replied absentmindedly.**

**"What are you thinking about?" he asked.**

**"Don't worry about it," she answered quietly, sighing and looking away from him.**

**InuYasha turned his head to look at her, his face filled with worry. "You can tell me anything, you know, Ayame. We're friends now. Don't you trust me?" Ayame didn't answer. She didn't even look at him back. He reached over and turned her head with his one finger. Their eyes met. "Ayame, tell me what's wrong. Are you thinking about Koga again?"**

**Ayame stared into his eyes and she could see deep concern in them. "Why can't I be the one to have Koga chasing me all the time? It's not fair! Kagome's always the lucky one!"**

**InuYasha smiled softly. "It's okay. Koga's a jackass. He doesn't deserve someone as nice, smart, strong, and..." He paused before continuing, a small blush creeping up his cheeks. "...beautiful as you."**

**"You think I'm beautiful?"**

**InuYasha nodded. He took her in his arms and hugged her tightly, like he wouldn't let go. "Believe me, you're one of the most beautiful people I know. Not just outside... but inside, too." He smiled again, but this time, Ayame couldn't see.**

**"But Koga always said I was an ugly wench and..."**

**"Ssshhh." He hushed her as they remained hugging.**

**

* * *

****"Where is it, InuYasha?" Miroku exclaimed. He and Ayame and Sango were on Kirara. InuYasha was running not too far behind them. InuYasha had picked up the scent of Naraku somewhere and after having lost his scent for days, he was now determined to find and kill him.**

**InuYasha ran in front of a cave and pointed. "He's in here!" He ran in, Kirara and the others following closely behind. "Let's go!"**

**Naraku's figure was standing right in front of them when InuYasha entered the cave. He was wearing his baboon costume. Sango guessed that it was another one of his demon puppetry tricks. "InuYasha, be careful," she called to him. Ayame jumped off Kirara and stood beside InuYasha.**

**"Okay, Naraku, it's you and me in this cave!" InuYasha snarled, baring his teeth. "You did enough damage to everyone here!" Before he could finish his sentence, he was already leaping at Naraku, his claws ready to dig into him. "This one's for Ayame!"**

**Miroku, Sango, and Shippou were taken aback. _For Ayame?_**

**Naraku did nothing but stand there. He disappeared once InuYasha got to him, leaving nothing but a slight echo of his twisted laugh in the wind. "Damn!" InuYasha cursed under his breath. But before he could say anything else, the cave walls were beginning to crash down on them!**

**InuYasha took Ayame into his arms and went deeper into the cave, where the rocks weren't falling. "You need to be in a safe place," he told her. But Sango and the others didn't follow. The cave crashed down in front of them, leaving InuYasha and Ayame trapped in the cave-in.**

**Ayame couldn't see with all the dust. All she knew was that InuYasha was holding her. She at least felt safe for the moment. Then, a huge rock hit her head, knocking her unconscious.**

**"Ayame!" InuYasha said urgently. He was lightly slapping her face in an attempt to wake her up. But she wasn't. "Damn! She fainted on me!" He set her down on the ground somewhere and waited for the dust to settle.**

**

* * *

****It had been hours since then that Ayame awoke with a shiver. It was cold in the cave. That meant night was falling. But it wasn't dark. There was a small fire burning right in front of her. InuYasha was sitting on the other side. His eyes were closed but he suddenly opened them.**

**"Hey, you're awake." he said, smiling.**

**"Yep," Ayame replied. "What happened?"**

**"You fainted when a rock fell on your head," InuYasha explained. "This was only a trap of Naraku's. He meant to leave us all here in this cave so we could all die. But Sango and the others are still out there. They're trying to get us out."**

**"Why can't we claw our way out?"**

**"The rocks are too stuck together. This isn't a normal cave-in. This is Naraku's doing." He sighed and sat back, crossing his arms. "For now, we'll have to stay here and do our best to survive."**

**Ayame sat up slowly. "I'm hungry."**

**"Me, too." InuYasha said quietly. "But we can't eat anything here. There's no food."**

**Ayame nodded and huddled closer to the fire. Great. Now she was stuck in a cave for who knows how long with no food. They're going to run out of air eventually. But at least she had InuYasha. She looked at his face. It looked more serene and peaceful than ever before. It looked...**

**Her thoughts were cut off when InuYasha noticed her looking at him. "You need my haori or something? Night is falling and you will get cold." he offered.**

**"Sure," Ayame accepted the haori and wrapped it around her. She sighed and started looking at the fire. It was tiny. It wouldn't last the whole night. "InuYasha," she broke the silence, "Tell me the truth. Was I stupid to believe Koga when he promised he would marry me someday?"**

**InuYasha looked at her. There was pain and confusion in her eyes. But the kind that he had never seen before. Not in anybody else. "Of course not. Don't ever think that. I already told you that there was another man for you out there." He stood up and walked to the huge wall separating them from the mouth of the cave. "Let's try and get out. It's a better way to spend our time than just sitting here, waiting to be saved."**

**Ayame agreed and helped him.**

**

* * *

****They had been attacking the wall for hours. It must've been around midnight when they stopped. Ayame sighed and leaned on the wall. She was exhausted. InuYasha was panting heavily as he sat down against the rocks.**

**"Ready to give up yet, InuYasha?" she asked.**

**"We need to get out of here, Ayame," he said as he looked at the tired girl. Her two pigtails were in a mess. He stood in front of her and took her ponytails off. Her hair fell lightly to her sides.**

**InuYasha's eyes widened. _She looks so beautiful with her hair down..._**

**Ayame stared at him. "What's wrong?"**

**"Oh!" InuYasha snapped back to reality. "Nothing! I..." He blushed slightly. "...think you look beautiful with your hair down like that. I mean... really." He looked away shyly.**

**Ayame smiled. "Really? Thanks! You're one of the nicest friends I've ever had!"**

**"Yeah..." InuYasha walked over to where the fire was. It would go out in a few minutes. He sat down and offered for Ayame to sit with him. "The fire's gonna go out soon, so we better get to sleep." He sat closer to Ayame to give her some warmth. "Night."**

**"G'night..." Ayame mumbled sleepily as she closed her eyes. She was exhausted.**

**

* * *

****InuYasha moved slightly and opened his eyes. It was cold. The fire had gone out hours ago. He and Ayame were asleep before that. _Ayame! I can't feel her heat anywhere near me anymore!_ He looked over to where Ayame was supposed to be. But she was there. She was still fast asleep, using his haori as a blanket. But she was cold. Shivering.**

**InuYasha tried to think of a way to keep her warm. He moved closer and closer to her, never taking his eyes off her face. It looked so perfect and flawless in the dark. Not like there were any flaws in her anyway. Before he knew it, he was putting his arms around her.**

**Ayame groaned in her sleep and turned so she was fully facing InuYasha. InuYasha blushed as he looked at her. They were so close to kissing. Except she was asleep._ It wouldn't hurt anyone if I just give her a little kiss..._ he thought as he closed his eyes and began to lean closer. But he stopped. _What am I doing? She's my friend! Nothing else!_**

**He moved away and leaned against the wall. He tried to go back to sleep again, but he couldn't stop looking at her. She was like an angel. He used to think that Kagome was the most beautiful girl he's ever met, but she wasn't even competition compared to Ayame. After hours of thinking, his eyes closed and he slowly drifted off to sleep.**

**

* * *

****"Wake up, sleepyhead!"**

**InuYasha's eyes snapped open at the sound. He sat up as fast as he could. "Where am I! Kagome, did you make breakfast!" he yelled. Then he noticed he was in the cave with Ayame. "Oh, hey... I forgot I was here..."**

**Ayame handed him back his haori. "Thanks for lending me this. It was a great help." She smiled at him. He smiled back. But her smile soon disappeared as she sat down next to InuYasha. It was dark in the cave but they got used to it and could see each other quite well.**

**"What's wrong?" InuYasha asked. "Are you still upset about Koga?" His eyes softened as he looked at her. She had never seen anyone this miserable. He wanted to do anything he could to protect her. Seeing so much sadness in her eyes made him want to just do nothing but hold her and console her until every tear was wiped away.**

**Ayame sighed lightly. "I still think I'm stupid for ever falling for Koga..." She closed her eyes and leaned back.**

**"Don't say that! You're not stupid!" He didn't know what just happened, but in an instant, he had her in his arms again and he was leaning over to kiss her. Her face was painted with shock. As he was leaning over, he whispered, "Forget about him. I'll give you everything you've always wanted..."**

**"InuYasha..." Ayame whispered faintly. She didn't know what was going on, and she wanted to stop it. But she was getting caught up in it, too, as he was closing in on her. She didn't know what else to do. She wrapped her arms around him.**

**Just as they were about to kiss...**

**"InuYasha! Ayame!" A young female voice broke the blissful silence. InuYasha snapped into attention and looked to where the source of the sound was. "Are you guys alright! I'll help you get out!"**

**"Yeah!" InuYasha yelled back. Then he continued in a softer voice, "Kagome?"**

**"Yes, InuYasha?" Kagome replied back. His tone of voice comforted him. It was like he missed her. She smiled as she waited for the 'I miss you'.**

**"Hurry it up out there! I don't got all day!" he yelled, making Kagome disappointed.**

**"Yeah! Okay!" She and the rest of the Inu-tachi worked on the cave-in as InuYasha and Ayame let go of each other. They sat on opposite sides of the cave.**

**Ayame was flushed. _How did that just happen? I didn't want to kiss InuYasha... he's just my friend... but something was telling me to. And something was pushing me to... This is too damn confusing!_**

**END OF CHAPTER**

**

* * *

Note: Eek! Why did Kagome have to ruin everything! They were having their moment! LOL Well, anyways, that was another chapter. Pretty long, eh? Next chapter coming soon! Please review this one! Man... I think I'm turning into a review whore... Already...**


	7. Conversations

**Note: I'm getting hooked into the story! I can't stop writing! LOL Well anyways, here's another chapter! Oh, and sesslover101, about your review... My bad! I think I'm turning color blind! Eek, I didn't know her hair was RED... LOL! I'll start saying her hair is red now... lol... And to Kiyana Va Sala's latest review... Oh, we're nowhere near the ending! We haven't even started! (has lots of plans up her sleeve) Hehehe...**

**In The Previous Chapter: Thanks to Naraku's plot, InuYasha and Ayame are stuck in a cave together for a whole night. They are getting rescued by Kagome and the others, though.**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 7: CONVERSATIONS**

**"Thanks, guys!" Ayame said as she and InuYasha climbed out of the cave. Kagome and the others had finally, after hours, made a small hole that Ayame and InuYasha could climb out of. "I thought we'd never get out of there!"**

**"InuYasha!" Kagome squealed, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay!"**

**"Yeah, yeah," InuYasha said, brushing her off and walking away.**

**"InuYasha, you shouldn't be so rude," Shippou said, "Kagome was just worried about you. You should've seen her when she heard you were trapped in there. She was dying of worry! But then again, why should I tell you that? You don't care about Kagome."**

**_Damn straight,_ InuYasha thought. He was still angry at Kagome, no matter what he tried to do about it.**

**"Are you alright, Ayame?" Sango asked as she hugged her friend. "We were getting worried about you being trapped in there alone with InuYasha! He can have a pretty bad temper, you know." She paused for a moment. "But then again, it's better than getting stuck in a cave with... The Lech." She secretly glared at Miroku.**

**Ayame laughed. "InuYasha was pretty okay the whole time. He was... nice." She blushed as she remembered their 'almost-kiss'.**

**"Really?" Miroku said, in shock, almost. "Are you sure? InuYasha's never gone through a whole night without getting angry at someone!"**

**"Well, he did last night," Ayame smiled. "But, anyway... Sango, do you want to come to the onsens with me right now? I'm dying for a bath!" She looked at her long red hair in her hand and made a disgusted face. It needed serious washing.**

**"Sure," Sango and Ayame immediately left for the hot springs, leaving Kagome with Shippou, Miroku, and Kirara.**

**"We might as well go do our chores now, Miroku," Kagome suggested. Miroku nodded and they lifted off to camp on Kirara.**

**

* * *

****Ayame let out a relieved sigh as she sank into the comfy waters. Being in that cave had been misery for her. It was cold, she could barely breath nor see. But then again, she had InuYasha with her. It wasn't so bad, when she thought about it. _Wait! Why am I thinking about InuYasha this way? Just because we almost kissed doesn't mean I like him! He probably doesn't even like me either! He was just... caught up in the moment, that's all._ She sighed.**

**Sango looked at her. "What's wrong?" she asked.**

**"Oh!" Ayame gasped. "Nothing! Don't worry about it!"**

**Sango giggled. "So, what's all this business about InuYasha picking you over Kagome?" she teased. "Is something happening between you guys?"**

**Ayame blushed. "Of course not! Why would you say that?"**

**"The way he looks at you is... different from how he looks at anyone else."**

**Ayame could feel heat in her cheeks as she looked away._ Damn... Why am I blushing?_ She tried to change the subject. "So...about you and Miroku..."**

**Sango swiftly turned as red as an apple. "What? I don't like him! Who said I did?"**

**"You do like him! I can see it in you!" Ayame laughed. She had to admit, being with the Inu-tachi was fun. Especially Sango, who was quickly becoming her best friend. Miroku was also a helper sometimes. They were her friends.**

**Sango squealed and splashed water at Ayame. "No! How can I ever like that lecher!"**

**Ayame broke into a fit of giggles. She had never been this happy since she came to the group. She had a lot of fun with Sango, that's for sure.**

**

* * *

****Kagome was cooking some dinner with Miroku and Shippou. InuYasha still had not came back and was probably still wandering off somewhere. "Miroku?" Kagome broke the unusual silence.**

**"Yes, Kagome?" Miroku replied as he was mixing some food together.**

**"Do you think InuYasha still likes me?" Kagome asked in a worried tone. "I mean, when I say something to him, it's like he's not even interested in listening to me. All he wants to do is be with Ayame. He picks me over her and... He let me get hurt just so he could save her. Isn't that unusual of InuYasha? I mean, do you think he likes Ayame?"**

**Miroku avoided looking at Kagome. He didn't want to give her his honest opinion. He knew that InuYasha did develop feelings for Ayame, and it's been obvious for the past few days. But to tell it to Kagome would be wrong. After all, she did love InuYasha alot. "What are you talking about, Kagome?" he said innocently. "I don't think anything's going on at all. It's probably just your imagination."**

**"But InuYasha's always mad at me..."**

**Miroku cut her off. "He's just temporarily angry. He'll cool down soon enough. He was just jealous that you were kissing Koga, that's all. He'll come back to you soon enough." He hated lying like this. He never normally lied to his friends. But this was to keep Kagome happy. What was he supposed to do? Tell her that InuYasha and Ayame were starting to like each other? That InuYasha would never forgive her for what she did with Koga?**

**"I hope so..." Kagome began hesitantly. "Thanks." She had heard what she wanted to hear. But somehow, she didn't believe it.**

**"We're back!" They heard Sango's voice from outside the tent. It was almost sundown. "How are you guys doing with your chores?"**

**"Good, Sango!" Kagome said. "I'm just finishing up our dinner and we can serve it soon." Ayame and Sango entered the tent and sat down.**

**"Smells good." Sango complimented.**

**"It's ready!" Shippou exclaimed excitedly. "Let's eat!"**

**"What about InuYasha?" Ayame asked, looking around the tent. "He's not here yet."**

**"He'll come soon enough," Miroku answered, beginning to gulp down the food.**

**They talked about things while they ate dinner. Miroku talked about staying in a nearby village. But Sango wouldn't agree, seeing as it was the monk's opportunity to grab some girls. But they did need some decent shelter. Before they knew it, they were finished.**

**"InuYasha still hasn't come yet," Sango brought it up. "Someone has to go get him."**

**"I'll go," Kagome offered, standing up and brushing off the dust on her skirt. "I need to have a talk with him anyway."**

**"No, I'll get him," Ayame suggested. She picked up InuYasha's bowl of food that they saved. "I don't think he wants to talk to you right now. No offence." She took off, following the hanyou's scent.**

**

* * *

****InuYasha sat on a tree, looking at the stars. He needed time alone to think things through. He knew he had changed since Ayame came. He was softer, more considerate, and friendlier. Especially to Ayame herself.**

**"Hey," he heard a soft female voice beside him. He turned to see Ayame was on the tree branch with him. He smiled at her as she handed him his bowl. "You missed dinner. I'm just here to give you your food. Eat up."**

**As InuYasha ate, Ayame looked at the sky. "It's beautiful tonight." she commented. InuYasha nodded. "About the kiss, InuYasha..." she began hesitantly. "I... don't think that was supposed to be serious."**

**"What are you talking about?"**

**"I mean, we don't really like each other, right? We're just friends. We just... decided to kiss because there was no one else around and... You know what I mean. I think we should just forget it happened and move on."**

**"Hm." InuYasha wanted to tell her that after thinking about it, he figured out that he liked her. He was intending to, until Ayame had brought up all that kissing business. _She doesn't like me back..._**

**"Anyway, InuYasha, I'd better head back to camp. We're all going to stay in a village tomorrow and we're leaving to head there early in the morning. So you should head back, too." She smiled slightly at him and ran off.**

**END OF CHAPTER**

* * *

**Note: Arg, that wasn't a very good ending. Lol But that's okay, the next chapter is coming soon. Tell me what ya think of this one! I know, it's kind of pointless, just a bunch of people talking. Okay, I promise, the next chapter will be better! Buh bye! And thanks so much for the reviews! Greatly appreciated:)**


	8. Overnight At A Mansion

**Note: Yay! Yet another chapter of my story! This took a bit longer than most, because there's been so much going on at school... the Grade 8 grad's coming up, we're having lots of trips... it's been exhausting. Plus, I've been helping my friend to get some donations for the Heart & Stroke Foundation... I'm real tired. That's for all those who actually care about me. (Sweatdrops) Oh, and my relatives are coming this Sunday, so I won't be writing as much either! Well, anyway... On with the fic!**

**In The Previous Chapter: Lots of talks were made and Ayame decided that her and InuYasha's 'almost-kiss' should be ignored. So she tells InuYasha to forget it happened. But will InuYasha accept that? Dun dun dun!**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
C****HAPTER 8: OVERNIGHT AT A MANSION**

**It was a cloudy morning as the Inu-tachi approached the village. It was bustling with the chatter of the villagers at work. Women were attending to the huts, children were at play, and the men were busy training. Miroku took care to choose the finest house for them to stay in. It was a huge mansion in the middle of the village.**

**"Excuse me, sir," Miroku approached the owner. "Your mansion is in serious need of an exorcism. May I have the honor of exorcising it for you?"**

**The man bowed. "Thank you, kindly monk. Step this way." He led Miroku inside the mansion while the rest of the Inu-tachi stayed outside.**

**InuYasha crossed his arms. "Feh. Stupid monk. Always making up lies. Next thing you know, there'll be some 'beautiful girl' in there and he'll want to stay overnight." He rolled his eyes as Shippou and Sango shook their heads. "Damn lecher."**

**A few moments later, the man and Miroku came out of the mansion. "Thank you very much, Monk," the man said, "for exorcising my mansion. Is there anything I can do for you in return?"**

**Miroku nodded. "I would be delighted if you let me and my friends stay for one night. Besides, that way I can make sure that your house is completely safe."**

**The man smiled warmly. "Of course. Please get inside. My daughters will show you to your rooms and cook your meal."**

**InuYasha snorted as they all walked inside. "Feh. I knew this was another one of Miroku's tricks to get to the girls."**

**

* * *

****Ayame was sitting alone in the room that was to be shared by her and Sango and Kagome. Sango had gone training in the yard and Kagome was helping with the meal. Ayame couldn't stop thinking about her night with InuYasha in the cave. She couldn't help thinking about how secure she felt with him. _Ugh! Stop thinking about him!_ She shook the thought out of her head as InuYasha slowly came in the room.**

**"Ayame?" he said quietly.**

**"What is it, InuYasha?" she asked.**

**"I need to talk to you about that kiss," InuYasha replied.**

**"I'm sorry," Ayame cut him off. "If you don't mind, I need to be by myself for a minute." She walked out of the room and out of the mansion. There were tiny drops of rain already falling as she rushed away to the main gate. InuYasha followed her.**

**"Ayame! I need some questions answered!" he yelled out to her.**

**Ayame stopped and turned around. She didn't want to talk to InuYasha. The 'almost-kiss' made her more confused than ever. "What questions? What's there to answer? I already told you to ignore it!"**

**InuYasha caught up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. The rain began to pour hard as he looked into her eyes for a moment. "I know you're confused, Ayame, but please! I need to tell you something important!" His eyes were gripping. Ayame couldn't help but just look into them. "Now, answer me... What are you so afraid of that you had to tell me to just ignore it?"**

**Ayame looked away. "What are you talking about? There was nothing I was afraid of."**

**"Yes, there is something," InuYasha implied. "I could see it in your eyes that there was something you didn't want to tell me last night!"**

**"InuYasha, I would never hide anything from you!" Ayame yelled. _Yes, I would... I'm too scared to tell you how I feel about you now... That was... Argh! Why can't you just leave me alone, InuYasha? Please! I need to think!_**

**InuYasha's eyes softened. "Ayame... You should never hide things from me." He pulled her into a tight embrace. They were both soaking wet from the rain, but he didn't care. "I love you, Ayame. And I don't want to hide it from you."**

**Ayame's eyes widened. "You what!" She pulled away from him roughly. "InuYasha! You don't even know me! How can you say that?"**

**"Because I do! I've seen what you go through! You don't deserve to be with Koga! You need to be with someone who can take care of you!"**

**"Oh, so is this what it's about, InuYasha? Pity?"**

**"Of course not!" InuYasha yelled. _Why does Ayame have to take everything the wrong way?_ "I'm just saying! It's time to give up on Koga and move on to someone else! To someone who can take care of you! To someone who will take care of you!"**

**"Well, I'm sorry to break this to you," Ayame said a bit quieter now. "But there's such a thing called loyalty. I will never leave Koga's side. Never. I will be loyal to him, no matter who he loves." She began walking away from InuYasha and out of the mansion's gates, leaving the hanyou standing alone in the rain.**

**

* * *

****The owner of the mansion had his daughters prepare a meal for the Inu-tachi. Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara were already seated in the dining room while one of the daughters served the food for them. InuYasha burst in the room, soaking wet, and sat down in a corner.**

**"What happened to you?" Shippou asked. "And where is Ayame?"**

**"Feh. None of your business." InuYasha sulked, turning his back to them. "And how the hell would I know where she is?" He crossed his arms.**

**

* * *

****It was late. The rain had stopped falling. Everyone was asleep in their rooms as Ayame quietly entered. She stopped as she saw Kagome still awake, reading. "Hey," Ayame whispered.**

**Kagome looked up. "Where were you, Ayame? You got us worried."**

**Ayame shrugged, pretending that nothing had happened. "Nowhere important... Look, I just wanted to say sorry about how I acted that day at Koga's cave. I should support Koga's and your decisions." The whole time, she was looking down at the floor. She extended her hand to Kagome. "Friends?"**

**Kagome smiled and shook her hand. "Yep. Now get some sleep. We're setting off to find Naraku tomorrow morning. The owner of the mansion's daughters are preparing another meal for us bright and early." She watched Ayame nod and get into her cot.**

**

* * *

****Ayame couldn't sleep. She decided to get out to the yard and do some more thinking for a while. She sat on the porch. She didn't notice that Sango was standing behind her. She approached and sat beside her.**

**"Did something happen between you and InuYasha today?" she asked.**

**"What? No..." Ayame lied.**

**Sango sighed and leaned back. "I know everything." She smiled slightly as she saw Ayame turn to her, puzzled, in the corner of her eye. "It's so obvious. You and InuYasha have been developing feelings for each other ever since that Koga and Kagome incident. I know by the looks in your eyes that InuYasha hurt you somehow."**

**Ayame sighed. There was no getting away from the taiji-ya. "He said he loves me, okay? Are you happy?"**

**Sango blinked at Ayame's reaction. "Why would you ask if I'm happy I have the answer? What's so bad about having someone love you?"**

**"Nothing! It's just that... with all this Koga stuff going on, I'm not sure if I like him back. He made it more confusing when he told me, that's all."**

**"So you're angry at him?"**

**"Of course I am!" Ayame said louder than she intended. Sango nodded and went back in her room. Ayame sat by herself alone for a few minutes when InuYasha came out of his room. He held a blanket in his hand and rubbed his eyes sleepily.**

**"Can't sleep, huh?" he asked.**

**Ayame shrugged as an answer. InuYasha put the blanket over her back and sat next to her. "Sorry I said all of that," he said. "I didn't mean to dump so much stuff on you at the same time."**

**"Hm." Ayame replied. She didn't know what to say. Aside from that, her eyelids were dropping. She was tired.**

**InuYasha put his arm around Ayame, giving her extra warmth. "I know you'll always love Koga. That's good. It shows you're a loyal person." He blushed slightly as Ayame's head fell on his shoulder. She was asleep. He smiled softly, his cheeks still tinted red.**

**END OF CHAPTER**

* * *

**Note: And the truth comes out! InuYasha does, indeed, love Ayame! (mysterious music) Oh, and before I forget, I won't be writing for a while. My computer'smessing up and myrelatives are coming theFriday! Yay! But as soon as all that's done, I will get back to writing.-Lol, anyway, I'm going to say what I always say... Next chapter coming soon and please R+R:D Buh byez!**


	9. The Taijiya And The Houshi

**Note: Sorry for taking so long to update! I'll try not to let it happen again... This chapter is MirSan, just for all you MirSan fans out there! We need some other pairings in here, too, if we want it to be good. **

**In The Previous Chapter: InuYasha finally admitted his true feelings. But Ayame doesn't like them. Another important one was that Ayame finally decided to give up and be friends with Kagome.**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 9: THE TAIJI-YA AND THE HOUSHI**

**"What a lecherous monk..." Sango mumbled under her breath as she watched Miroku hit on more village girls. He had decided that they should stay awhile longer in the village. There were more girls he wanted to see. InuYasha and the others didn't like this idea. But something had happened last night and they couldn't leave.**

**

* * *

****(((Flashback)))**

**Kagome woke up, rubbing her eyes. She had a terrible headache. _It's probably because I'm so stressed out about the test next week..._ She looked around. Ayame wasn't in her cot! Kagome got up and decided to look for her outside.**

**Upon opening the door, she was greeted by shock as she saw... InuYasha and Ayame sleeping together! Ayame's head was rested on InuYasha's shoulder. InuYasha's head was leaning onto a post. They were both asleep sitting down, on the porch. Kagome put her hands on her hips, not believing the sight.**

**"Osuwari!" she commanded, breaking the silence in the middle of the night.**

**"Dammit!" was all you could hear next, plus a big bam on the ground. InuYasha had woken up from the osuwari and looked up at Kagome with a dirt-covered face. "What the hell was that for!" he yelled at the angry figure.**

**Ayame also woke up. Sango, Shippou, and Miroku had opened their doors to see what was going on. "What's happening here?" Shippou asked, rubbing his eyes. "You guys should keep your little fights to yourselves. We don't want to get woken up by this, you know."**

**Kagome was red with anger, pointing at Ayame. "She... she... she slept with InuYasha!"**

**Ayame's eyes went huge. "I... WHAT!" She moved swiftly farther from the blushing hanyou. This was an awkward situation, indeed. Being careful not to be seen, Miroku and Sango secretly exchanged winks and smiles.**

**Kagome looked away sadly. "I never knew you would be like this, InuYasha." She turned around and headed for the Forest of InuYasha. "If you didn't like me anymore, you could've said so." Her voice was cracking the whole time as she walked away sadly.**

**Ayame had a huge sweatdrop on her head as she yelled at InuYasha, "You could go after her, you know! It's not like we meant to do this!"**

**InuYasha had a confused look on his face. _Looks like she's going home again..._**

**(((End of Flashback)))**

**

* * *

****Sango sweatdropped as she kept watching Miroku desperately try to fondle the women. "What a lech." she commented, shaking her head. Shippou and Ayame had gone off to help the villagers. InuYasha helped the mansion's owner in building a den. Everyone but her had tried to make themselves useful in their stay. All she wanted to do was think.**

**She leaned on a fence and sighed. Everything had become so different since Ayame joined the Inu-tachi. InuYasha had been acting strangely rude to Kagome. She never would've guessed Kagome would react to things like how she did last night. It was one side of her she'd never seen before. I mean, since when do you see Kagome's temper flare like that?**

**She began to doubt that Ayame's stay with them was very good for her. She thought at first that Ayame would be comforted by staying with friends like themselves. But this whole situation had become very depressing for her instead. Koga is going to marry Kagome, and InuYasha loves her. _Poor girl. If I were her, I wouldn't try pretending to be so cheerful either._**

**"What's up, Sango?" a female voice called out from behind her. She turned around. It was Ayame. She joined Sango and sat on the fence. "What ya doing?"**

**"Watching the lech," Sango said gloomily. "He seems to be more extreme on asking the girls to bear his children."**

**"Why? You like him?" Ayame asked. Her friend's mood caused her to be a bit gloomy, too.**

**Sango sighed. "Maybe... But I'm thinking about going for someone else now. Miroku seems... too... perverted for me."**

**Ayame gasped. "What? But you guys are meant to be! Even when we still didn't know each other and I was still after Koga, I could see it all! At first glance, you can tell that you and Miroku have a thing for each other! You shouldn't give up on him."**

**Sango attempted to smile at her new best friend. But that failed. "Thanks for trying, but I don't think that's going to work." She began walking away.**

**Ayame couldn't believe her ears. She didn't know much about what Sango and Miroku had been through, but she was determined that they were the perfect couple. That monk was just ruining things by being a hentai! She jumped off the fence and walked briskly to Miroku. She gave his ear a sharp grab.**

**"Listen up, Miroku!" she said loudly. "You'd better stop being such a lecher! Sango is getting seriously depressed about your behaviour!"**

**Miroku sweatdropped. "Oh, but Sango's always like that. She'll get over it soon enough. Besides, why would I stop doing this? It's great!" With that, he received a new slap mark on his face. But this time, it wasn't from Sango. (hehe)**

**Ayame pulled him away from the villagers and made him sit under a tree with her. "Now, listen carefully. Sango told me herself that you're too perverted for her. She is going to look for someone else unless you stop being so flirty!"**

**"Well, we both have our own businesses. Whenever she decides she wants someone else is her business, not mine. Even though I wouldn't want her to look."**

**"Arg! Miroku! Don't be like this!" Ayame yelled in frustration. "It's your business! She's your woman!" She calmed down at the sight of Miroku hesitating. "Look," she smiled slightly. "I'll give you some tips on how to win her heart back. Do you want to do this or not?"**

**Miroku was hesitant. He wasn't really sure if these were his grounds. But the thought of Sango wanting to find someone else was sort of bugging him, even though they weren't officially together. "Uh...sure... I guess so."**

**Ayame squealed in joy and gave Miroku a big hug. "Yes! You guys are an item! I knew it all along!"**

**

* * *

****The air was dark with miasma. A lone figure of a woman could be seen training from afar. Her fan had made everything so windy. Despite being a natural at controlling the winds, Kagura's forehead was covered in sweat. This was the heaviest training session she had. She had to be strong for the time she would carry out her plan for escape.**

**A small girl all in white approached her slowly. Her face showed no emotion and she carried a round mirror in her hand. "Naraku wants to see you." she said in the quietest whisper.**

**"I will be right there, Kanna," Kagura nodded. She closed her fan and began walking to the castle behind her.**

**The atmosphere in the castle was even worse than outside. The halls were musty and filled with the smell of demons and death. It never bothered any of them, though. Kagura kept walking through the narrow halls until she reached a certain door. She opened it, seeing that Naraku was sitting there. The room was almost pitch black.**

**"You called, Naraku?" Kagura asked.**

**"Yes," Naraku replied in the most evil voice he had. "I have a mission for you to carry out. Do it properly, for I will be watching through Kanna's mirror. If you don't..." His eyes narrowed severely as his hand squeezed Kagura's heart, causing her to fall to the ground in pain. "...It will be your life."**

**Kagura was trying desperately to stand up. But she couldn't even get herself into a crouch. She whispered in pain, "What is it, Naraku?"**

**Naraku's eyes narrowed again. He wasn't sure if he could trust Kagura on this one. He knew about her thoughts on being free. But there was no one else that could do the job for him. "I need you to bring me InuYasha."**

**

* * *

****Ayame stood up. It was nearly sunset. She spent hours of hard work transforming Miroku into the 'perfect man' for Sango. She wiped her forehead and sighed in relief. "Okay, Miroku, we're done for today. Be sure to remember everything that I told you. Tomorrow, you will show Sango how perfect you are. Okay?"**

**Miroku's hand twitched. "Are you sure I can't do anything... you know... tomorrow?"**

**Ayame looked at him sternly. "No. You're trying to win Sango's heart, remember?" She pushed him to the direction of the mansion. "Let's go back and have some dinner."**

**

* * *

****The Inu-tachi sat around a big round table. It was loaded with all kinds of food. The mansion owner made sure that every meal was huge just for them. Shippou sighed contentedly and sat back. He could get used to this kind of life. Maybe he could consider staying at the mansion forever.**

**Miroku pushed his peas around with his chopsticks nervously. Ayame was sitting next to him, giving him little jabs with her elbow. "Say it..." she whispered.**

**"Sango?" Miroku said out loud. He couldn't take any more of Ayame's jabbing.**

**Sango looked up from her food to meet Miroku's eyes. "Yes, what is it?"**

**"Would you..." he paused for a minute. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ayame nodding and urging him to go on. "Would you meet me tomorrow morning bright and early at the courtyard?"**

**"Why sure, Houshi-sama." Sango nodded and went back to eating her food.**

**InuYasha looked at the two. "What's this all about, Miroku?" he asked.**

**Ayame sweatdropped. "It's just a little something Miroku wants to show Sango. Right?" She winked at the monk.**

**Miroku nodded. "Everything else is none of your business, InuYasha."**

**"Feh." (Sorry, I just love that word!)**

**

* * *

****Sango arrived at the courtyard the next morning. Miroku was there, waiting for her. "Okay, what is it that you wanted to show me?" she asked.**

**Miroku put his arm around Sango's shoulder, causing her to blush slightly. "What are you doing, Miroku?" Sango asked, confused as to what was going on.**

**Miroku smiled softly. "We need to spend more time together, Sango," he answered. And with that, he produced a bouquet of flowers from behind him. He handed them to the impressed girl. "Let's go, shall we?" He watched as Sango nodded.**

**From behind some bushes, Ayame and Shippou had been spying. Ayame told Shippou everything that happened the day before and Shippou wanted to see the action for himself. "Wow!" he whispered. "I've never seen Miroku act so mature in front of Sango! I mean, usually, he's feeling her up or something." He smiled, impressed with Ayame's work.**

**"I think it's working," Ayame giggled. "They're going to have such a great day." She was happy she found something that would take her mind off of InuYasha for a few days. The hanyou was just stressing her out.**

**"Look!" Shippou interrupted her thoughts. "They're walking away! Let's follow them!" He jumped off Ayame's head giddily and bounced after the taiji-ya and the monk.**

**Miroku and Sango had fun throughout the whole day. They picked flowers, went swimming, watched the clouds, had meaningful conversations, they even took a walk around the village. At first, that worried Sango because she knew Miroku would be trying to fondle the girls again. But to her surprise, she was his undivided attention. Although there were many girls passing by, he did nothing to them but say hello. She was impressed.**

**At the end of the day, Sango let herself fall on the grass. It was already dark. They certainly missed their supper. But it was worth it. They watched the sunset together. "Miroku! I never knew we could have this much fun in one day!" she said contentedly, closing her eyes. She was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was fall asleep under the stars.**

**Miroku smiled. "It was my pleasure, Sango." He held her so that she was facing him, and they were gazing into each other's eyes. "I'm sorry for being such a hentai, Sango," he said softly, never taking his eyes away from Sango's flushed face.**

**"You're... sorry... for being a hentai?" Sango repeated, more confused than ever. Since when was Miroku ever sorry for being a perv? Oh well, his behaviour really made her happy. "So you'll never be a hentai again?" she asked hopefully.**

**Ayame and Shippou were once again, behind the bushes. Ayame crossed her fingers and hoped as hard as she could that Miroku would say the right thing. "C'mon... you can do it, Miroku..." she said to herself quietly.**

**Miroku was hesitant. But he wanted Sango to be happy, just for this one day. "I'll try not to be, Sango." It brought him so much happiness to see Sango's face light up. She gave him a tight hug and he smiled at her joyful, "Arigatou, Houshi-sama..."**

**Miroku patted her head from the back. "We should head back to the mansion now. I bet everyone's wondering what we did all day." He chuckled. As they stood up and walked back to the mansion, he put his arm around her waist. (hehe aww!)**

**Ayame was delighted. "Eek! I can't believe I did it! Sango loves him again!" Shippou, too, was so excited, that he fell off Ayame's shoulder. "Let's go back, Shippou. They'll wonder where we are when they get there." Giggling, they both ran back to the mansion. But they were stopped at the sight of InuYasha looking down on them from a tree.**

**"Nice job, Ayame," he said to her. "You got Miroku and Sango together." He jumped off the tree branch to land face to face with Ayame. "I'm proud." He smiled at her.**

**Ayame couldn't help but blush. InuYasha's smile was... beautiful (lol couldn't think of anything). "Thanks," she said. Then, she realized what she was doing and tried to get past InuYasha. "Don't you remember that I can't talk to you?" she asked him.**

**InuYasha blinked. "But..."**

**Before he knew it, Ayame was far away, walking as fast as she could.**

**He heard a chuckle from behind him. He whirled around to see it was Kagura on her feather. "What do you want, Kagura?" he asked fiercely, preparing to fight.**

**Kagura chuckled again. "Rejected!" she exclaimed delightfully. Then, her face and tone of voice turned serious. "Listen, hanyou, I have something to say to you." She knew what to say. She thought she had got rid of Naraku's stare through the mirror. "Naraku is plotting something against you and your team. I was supposed to bring you to him. Just play along, okay? I want you to kill Naraku so I can be free."**

**InuYasha scoffed at the request. "Feh! Like I'd want a witch like you to bring me to Naraku!"**

**Kagura was as determined as ever. "Look, since you guys can't find Naraku, I'll lead you and your group to his castle. I know all of you are strong enough. That way, you can destroy Naraku and I'll gain my freedom! C'mon!"**

**InuYasha hesitated. It was true that for months, they've been trying to find Naraku. But it was to no avail. Having Kagura bring them to Naraku would be helpful. "Fine."**

**"Good! Now, wait here while I round up the rest of your team." With that, she disappeared in the wind, to be seen moments later high in the sky on her feather.**

**END OF CHAPTER**

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**Note: Whew! That was a long one! Erm... I'm kinda tired... Good night, everybody! Please R+R if you got through this loooong chapter! Lol!**


	10. Battle At Naraku's Castle

**Note: Oh my gosh! Chapter 10! I'm so proud! I've never really continued a story this far before. (sweatdrops) I think I'm actually going to finish this thing! Lol! Not that we're near the ending or anything... (mysterious music) What will happen next? Please read!**

**In The Previous Chapter: Ayame brought Sango and Miroku back together after hearing Sango's doubts on the monk. Naraku decided to have Kagura bring him InuYasha so he could kill him. However, Kagura's intentions are different. She would bring the whole team to him, but because she wanted them to kill Naraku and give her the freedom she's always wanted.**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 10: BATTLE AT NARAKU'S CASTLE**

**Six figures could be seen rushing in the night. Kagura was at the lead. InuYasha was behind her, with the rest of the Inu-tachi on Kirara. "Are we there yet, Kagura?" InuYasha yelled, making sure he was heard through the wind.**

**"Almost!" Kagura shouted back. "See the dark sky over there on the mountains?" She pointed. Though it was nighttime, you could still see a darker patch in the sky. "That's the miasma in Naraku's castle!" She picked up speed and everybody else did so, too. She was getting impatient. The time for her freedom was coming closer and closer.**

**They arrived at the barrier. You could see nothing but thick, dark miasma within the barrier walls. Kagura stepped aside. "Here, InuYasha. Break the barrier and get it over with."**

**InuYasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga and got ready to attack the barrier. _Kagura seems really confident that we'll kill Naraku._ He leaped to the barrier and used the Kaze no Kizu to create a huge rip through the invisible shield. In the process, he released huge amounts of miasma, causing the Inu-tachi to cough severely.**

**Sango put on her poison mask and took out extra handkerchiefs for everyone else to wear. "Go, Kirara!" she yelled as Kirara burst through the rip. InuYasha and Kagura followed close behind.**

**Miroku jumped off Kirara. "Where is Naraku?" he asked. There was no need for his question to be answered, though. In front of them, on the castle porch, was the dark figure of Naraku. He had a smug look on his face.**

**"Kagura," he said, impressed, "I see you've brought the whole group to me. That's good. I'll destroy them all at the same time." His insects were behind him, disappointing Miroku, because he couldn't use the Kazaana. Naraku produced a smile from the corner of his mouth and sent huge balls of fire at the Inu-tachi.**

**InuYasha's eyes widened in shock. "How the hell did he learn to do that!" he yelled.**

**Kagura flew up and covered her face with her fan. She needed to be safe. "Naraku's learned some new things during his hiding!" she explained.**

**"Damn!" InuYasha cursed. Everyone dodged the balls. "Kaze no Kizu!" InuYasha sent his attack flying at Naraku. But it didn't work very well. The insects only got in the way and got destroyed. Naraku wasn't hurt at all.**

**Ayame narrowed her eyes. "Hey, Sango, isn't that the guy who killed my tribe?" she asked.**

**Sango nodded. "He also killed my village. He has done terrible things to everyone here. That is why were are after him. To kill him." She was holding Hiraikotsu, preparing to attack.**

**"That devil!" Ayame exclaimed. "He killed my family and my friends! He's going to pay!" She punched the ground, causing an earthquake. Huge cracks on the ground were heading for Naraku.**

**_What is happening!_ Naraku's body was falling into the cracks. He never estimated this young wolf demoness to be that strong! He screamed in anguish as his body was swallowed up. Kagura's eyes were wide as she witnessed the event. But before Naraku was completely gone, he turned into a huge ball of miasma and disappeared.**

**The castle was also disappearing. Kagura flew off to follow his master. Soon, there was nothing left but a huge stretch of land. Ayame just stood there with flames of anger in her eyes. Sango jumped off Kirara to stand with her friend. "Wow, Ayame..." she said.**

**InuYasha just looked at Ayame. Even he didn't know she was this strong, either. Then, he noticed her hand. It was red and bleeding from punching the ground too hard. He ran over and held it. "We need to get your hand all better," he said softly. He was surprised that Ayame didn't do anything against him this time.**

**"Thanks," was all Ayame could say. Something had come over her when she saw Naraku's face. Seeing the demon who killed everything she had ever known since her childhood made her go crazy with a desire to kill him.**

**"Are you okay?" InuYasha asked. Ayame nodded. He lifted her up and carried her back to the village to get some herbs for her hand.**

**

* * *

****Ayame was exhausted. She had used up every last bit of her energy in trying to kill Naraku. She was a strong demon, but Naraku was way stronger than she had ever imagined. She lay asleep in a priestess's hut. InuYasha was sitting down beside her.****

* * *

****When Ayame woke up, she saw InuYasha staring at her. She quickly stood up. "What the hell! InuYasha!" she yelled.**

**"What!" InuYasha yelled back. "Everyone else had to do stuff at the village! I'm just looking after you and protecting you! Geez!"**

**"InuYasha! Don't come near me anymore!" Ayame screamed.**

**"Why the hell are you so damn stubborn anyway!" InuYasha replied. "You should at least be grateful that someone cares about you! Holy..."**

**"I would care if that someone wasn't you! I'm so damn sick of you always following me around! Holy crap, how many times have I told you that I don't ever want to talk to you anymore! You're such a stupid..." Ayame was cut off when InuYasha suddenly kissed her. Her eyes were wide. She couldn't think of anything to do at the moment. She was frozen.**

**InuYasha broke off the kiss and looked at her sincerely. "I don't care if you don't love me. I don't care if you hate me. I just want to be by your side. Just like how you feel about Koga, I will be loyal to you, no matter what." He watched as a small blush crept up Ayame's cheeks. He smiled and kissed her again. This time, Ayame kissed him back. (Damn! I'm not good at kissing scenes!)**

**Ayame broke the kiss and hugged InuYasha. "Thanks..." she said.**

**"What's with the sudden niceness?" InuYasha asked.**

**Ayame shrugged. _InuYasha really does love me..._ She tightened her hug. _Do I love him back? _"I..." she hesitated to say it, fearing that it was true. "I... love you, too..."**

**"Then why were you lying to me a couple days ago?"**

**Ayame looked up to gaze into InuYasha's soft golden eyes. "I was afraid to admit it. I already had my heart broken and... I didn't want you to do anything like that to me." A tear ran down her cheek.**

**InuYasha wiped the tear away with his finger and chuckled. "Now why would I do that to you?"**

**At that moment, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou entered the hut. InuYasha let go of Ayame. "Hey," Sango greeted them. "I just wanted to see how Ayame was doing."**

**"Are we interrupting something here?" Miroku teased them.**

**Ayame blushed. "No! Of course not!"**

**Miroku chuckled. "Sure..." He rolled his eyes.**

**"Look, monk! One more word out of you and you're dead!" InuYasha yelled.**

**Miroku laughed. "Okay, okay."**

**END OF CHAPTER**

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**Note: Okay, so that was your tenth chapter. Next chapter coming soon! Please R+R. I think I say that too much. Lol.**


	11. A Vision Of Jealousy

**Note: Yay! Eleventh chapter already! And just so you guys know, the rating changed from K+ to T. I think there's too much swearing here for 6+. Lol! And just a reply to some reviews that mentioned how InuYasha was being too mean or rude to Kagome... Please don't take this the wrong way and think that I hate Kagome! She is actually one of my favourite characters and InuKag is also my favourite pairing in the whole wide world! It's just that for this fic to work, we need instances that will create heartbreak so we can move into the AyaInu relationship. And without InuYasha being mean to Kagome, there would be no fic, now, would there? Lol. But I just want to say thanks for the criticism, it helps. And thanks for giving the fic a chance, even with its own imperfections and inaccuracy. Reviewers rule! Me love you all! Wow... that was long... Enough chit chat and on with the fic!**

**In The Previous Chapter: The Inu-tachi had a short showdown with Naraku. When he was almost defeated, though, he turned into a ball of miasma and once again, disappeared. After the battle, InuYasha and Ayame were arguing. In the end, Ayame ended up admitting her feelings to InuYasha. And now they're a happy, happy, couple. Lol. Well, not exactly... (scary music)**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 11: A VISION OF JEALOUSY**

**"Kagome!" Shippou cried as he dragged a huge bag of things through the path. He had expected Kagome to defend him against InuYasha, who had been torturing him the whole morning. "It's not fair! Why does he have to torture me when I say something he doesn't like? It's not like I mean to say it!"**

**InuYasha didn't look back at the suffering kitsune. His arms remained crossed and his eyes closed. Pretending he didn't hear a single word Shippou had said, he breathed a "Hurry it up, Shippou, you're lagging behind." Now that Kagome was back, the Inu-tachi were heading for the mountains to find Naraku.**

**The atmosphere was tense. Kagome had not even bothered to protect Shippou. She couldn't even hear his desperate cries for help. Since she had gone back, she had stayed next to InuYasha the whole time, glaring at Ayame. She couldn't help being protective of InuYasha! He was hers! Hers and hers alone! And normally, she would be saying, 'What am I thinking?' But this time, her jealousy got the better of her.**

**Ayame noticed these things happening the whole time, and so had InuYasha. Kagome was in a pit of jealousy, and it showed. They kept everything to themselves, and so had Miroku and Sango, in attempts to hide anything Kagome wouldn't like from her. But she wasn't that stupid. She knew they were all thinking of something. Something she didn't know. This only made her even more suspicious.**

**"Say," Kagome put in, rendering Shippou silent, "Why _did_ InuYasha decide to torture Shippou anyway?"**

**Shippou stopped, his eyes widening. How could he tell Kagome the reason why InuYasha had put all this torture on him? It was all because he was teasing him and Ayame the other night. He had seen what they were doing in the hut. But how could he tell Kagome? She would just be heartbroken. He stammered, "Um.. I... uh... I... took his food! Yeah! That's it! I took his food! That's why he's mad!"**

**Kagome narrowed her eyes suspiciously, causing InuYasha to become nervous. "InuYasha got this mad over that? He's never done that before..." she mentioned quietly. Something fishy was going on. She knew everyone was nervous of her comment. She knew crystal clear that everyone was hiding something from her.**

**Shippou nodded vigorously. "Yep! He did! Did I mention he's got anger management?" he blurted out, making InuYasha turn around and deal him a blow on the head.**

**"InuYasha...?" Kagome slowly turned to InuYasha, whose face had become distorted in embarassment. "Is this true?" she asked slowly, putting her hands on her waist as she did so.**

**InuYasha nodded just as fast as Shippou. "Yeah! Yeah! What Shippou said!"**

**Kagome took a long look at the hanyou and decided to forget it. They would never tell her, no matter how much she tried. She turned back to the path and started walking. "Okay then," she agreed. She even took Shippou's bag from him and carried it herself. She heard everyone's sighs of relief as they continued on.**

**

* * *

****They had been walking for a while. Ayame, who had taken the time to prepare their food for the journey, plopped down on the grass and opened up a picnic basket. "How about some lunch, guys? I'm starving!" she suggested. Everyone else nodded and sat down around the basket. (I also noticed there's a lot of eating going on in this fic!)**

**"So, InuYasha," Sango said as she munched on her food, "Are you positive that Naraku is hiding in the mountains?"**

**InuYasha nodded. "I can smell his demon scent migrating to that direction. I'm positive."**

**As Kagome ate, she couldn't help but notice Ayame and InuYasha glancing at each other, and smiling, too. She knew there was nothing wrong with smiling, but she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit jealous. Okay, not even a tiny bit. A lot jealous. She moved a bit closer to InuYasha when she noticed him and Ayame moving closer together. She grabbed his arm.**

**"So! InuYasha!" she said in a loud voice, startling the rest of the Inu-tachi, "Did you miss me while I was gone? Because I sure did!" she giggled and held InuYasha closer to herself.**

**"Are you okay, Kagome? Has something happened to you?" Sango asked, concerned.**

**"Of course nothing's happened to me! I'm just saying this because I've missed my little doggie so much!" She had to admit, she wasn't such a pretty good actress. She could tell that everyone could see through her act.**

**InuYasha sweatdropped. "Your little doggie?" he asked, puzzled, taking his arm away from Kagome. He continued to eat his ramen. "Something wrong with you, Kagome? You seem kind of sick today."**

**Kagome watched as InuYasha shot another smile at Ayame._ Why was he still sending her signals when he's supposed to care about me? Does he even still love me?_ She sighed and stood up, holding her forehead. She tried her best to hide her face from the others. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do feel a little sick. I need some rest. I'll be in a nearby hot spring if you need me." She began walking away.**

**Kagome approached the edge of the nearby forest. She decided to stay here instead of the hot spring. She did not want anyone to find her like this. She was heartbroken. How could InuYasha and Ayame do this to her? She thought that Ayame was her friend now! Why had been secretly flirting with her 'man,' and even slept with him! She felt hot tears roll down her cheeks as she sat on a rock.**

_**InuYasha... I'm losing you. I thought you would love me for the rest of your life! But I see she's better for you. Being a demon, she won't die as quick. She's stronger and can defend herself better than I ever could. You wouldn't have to worry about her being in danger all the time. But me... I'm always in need of saving. Why? Why did I have to invite her to become a part of us? Why did I, out of all people, invite her to be our friend? It was a bad choice! When I found her lying there, injured, I should've left her there! I should've left her to suffer and... die! I don't want anyone to be with InuYasha but me!**_

**She sobbed and sobbed, thinking that any minute now, someone like Miroku or Sango would come to see if she was alright. But no one so far. She couldn't believe she was thinking the thoughts that she was thinking right now. Minutes turned into hours. She finally stopped crying and fell asleep.**

**

* * *

****_Where am I?_ Kagome asked herself as she walked through a path in the forest. She heard laughing from a distance. _Hey, those people sound familiar._ She walked until she reached the end of the path. She was now in a clearing in the middle of the forest.**

**In the middle, she could see InuYasha and Ayame sitting together, having fun. They were watching nature. InuYasha had a soft, peaceful look about his face, the kind that not even Kagome had seen before. She watched him put his arm around Ayame and look into her eyes deeply.**

**Kagome gulped. This was the moment she had been so afraid of. He leaned over and led Ayame into a deep, passionate kiss. His free arm was running through her hair softly, taking off her hair ribbons. Kagome watched as Ayame began to put her arms around InuYasha's neck, moving in closer and closer to him, to end up right against his chest.**

**At that point, Kagome couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to see any of this happen anymore. She tried to turn away and run from it, but she was frozen in place, completely unable to move. She tried to close her eyes. But her eyelids were glued open. Tears were running down her cheeks as she was forced to watch the sight. She couldn't hear anything but the voices in her head screaming in pain and anguish.**

_**No! Not InuYasha and Ayame! No! Nooooooo!**_

**

* * *

****"No! No!" Kagome screamed and wriggled on the ground, only to be awoken by the sound of birds chirping. She sat up straight as fast as she could and rubbed her forehead. "What a nightmare!" she gasped. "InuYasha... and... Ayame..." The names of the two were repeating over and over in her head. _I'd better get going._ She stood up and headed back to where the Inu-tachi had been picnicking.**

**As she arrived, she found everyone else discussing their strategy of finding and killing Naraku. Sango was in the middle of telling them her ideas when she noticed Kagome coming and stood up.**

**"Kagome!" she exclaimed. "I see you're alright now!"**

**"Yeah..." Kagome said faintly, still rubbing her forehead. "I feel as good as new. Let's go find Naraku!"**

**"Are you sure?" Ayame asked. She had been quiet the whole day. She felt that Kagome put alot of blame on her for her problems with InuYasha. "Maybe we should stay a little longer and wait for you to fully recover..."**

**"I'm okay, really," Kagome insisted. "Let's just go." She began walking further up the mountain, urging everyone else to follow.**

**

* * *

****This walk was even more awkward than the one before it. Ayame could feel Kagome's constant glare from behind her. Everyone was deathly silent. Not even Miroku and Sango were up to their latest 'squabbles' about Miroku's pervertedness. Shippou had ceased his whining and just walked on, even though InuYasha had again made him carry the huge bag.**

**Kagome couldn't keep the dream out of her head. It was fresh in her mind like she just saw it happen seconds ago. Slowly and slowly, she was beginning to feel insecure about being around the two. Even though she had no proof of it exactly, she knew there was at least something going on. It was all in InuYasha's eyes. She couldn't stop thinking about how it was such a mistake for her to invite Ayame into the group and to let her spend time with InuYasha and--**

**"Hey there, Kagome," said a familiar voice from behind her.**

**END OF CHAPTER**

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**Note: Okay, so I made Kagome out of character there. I mean, face it, she would never get so jealous to the point where she would start saying things like "This was a mistake and so on and so forth." But trust me, readers, it's part of the plot. (winks) So there's your chapter 11, folks! Please don't forget to review!**


	12. Unexpected And Unwanted Guests

**Note: Here's Chapter 12! You guys just tell me if I'm updating too fast, okay? Lol! Once again, thanks for reviewing! All of you guys rock! And to Kiyana Va Sala's latest review... WHOA! You read my mind! I was actually going to put in some 'Kagome trying to make InuYasha jealous' stuff! But now someone has guessed... Now I shall have to change the plot for now! (evil laugh) Okay, so you guys have fun reading this chapter!**

**In The Previous Chapter: Nothing that important, actually. Kagome gets a dream of InuYasha and Ayame that she strongly believes is something that's telling her the truth about things. In previous chapters, she did accept Ayame's offer of friendship, but it seems she's not remembering it. She's too caught up on jealousy to remember Ayame's supposed to be her friend. Lol!**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 12: UNEXPECTED AND UNWANTED GUESTS**

"**Hey there, Kagome," said a familiar voice from behind her.**

**Kagome turned around to see that it was Koga. He stood there, his ponytail blowing in the wind, looking high and mighty. "Remember how we were supposed to have our wedding?" he asked, smirking.**

**Kagome nodded, sweatdropping. Koga just doesn't seem to give up. But she did see a perfect opportunity to mess around with InuYasha's feelings. She took a sideways glance at him. He didn't seem to care. He just stood there, watching them.**

**Kagome sighed. "When is it?" she asked.**

**Koga winked. "Very soon. I had Ginta and Hakakku (sp?) arrange everything at the cave. Lots of demons will be coming." He caught a glimpse of the calm and collected InuYasha and frowned. "What's with Muttface? He doesn't seem to be himself."**

"**Oh, he likes Ayame now--" Shippou blurted out. He was interrupted when Sango covered his mouth.**

**Koga's eyebrow went up as he smirked. "So he's not after my Kagome anymore, huh?" He examined InuYasha and Ayame standing together and smiled. "Good luck, Mutt." He took Kagome in his arms and began walking away.**

**Kagome thought about what Shippou had said. _"Oh, he likes Ayame now--" What could that mean? Is it true? He didn't look like he cared when Koga was hitting on me. He doesn't even care if I just go along with everything and marry Koga!_ She kept looking back at the Inu-tachi while Koga continued walking.**

"**Shippou!" Miroku scolded the young kitsune as quietly as he could. It was best not to let Kagome hear. He knew how important it was that Kagome not find out about everything that was going on at the moment. He didn't want anything happening to her. He had already noticed her aura becoming darker with jealousy.**

**Shippou nodded vigorously at the stern monk.**

**Kagome continued looking at the Inu-tachi and what they were doing while Koga was walking away with her in his arms. The way Ayame stood next to him... It made her shudder. How come this feeling had never been present when InuYasha was with Kikyo? Why was it only occurring when she sees him with Ayame?**

**At that moment, Kagome's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden gust of wind. It was soft at first, but began to pick up its pace as moments passed. Koga stopped in his tracks and turned around. It was heading for the Inu-tachi.**

**Sango grabbed hold of the hiraikotsu strapped behind her back. She could sense the aura, and it wasn't very pretty. As the wind began to blow at its hardest, she stabbed the weapon into the ground and grabbed tight hold of it. Miroku and Shippou also held on.**

**InuYasha did the same thing Sango did. He unsheathed his huge sword and held onto it with one arm, while holding onto Ayame with his other arm.**

**After moments of windy torture, a figure shot to the ground from the sky and stared at InuYasha. The hanyou stared back, and their golden eyes met in a cold glare.**

**"What do you want?" InuYasha hissed. Who knew his worst enemy could be his own brother?**

**Sesshoumaru, the one who had just come, was preparing to unsheathe Toukijin and attack, but he noticed the young demoness that InuYasha held in his arms protectively. He raised his eyebrow curiously as he examined her. "So, little brother, I see you've found someone else. A demoness." He nodded as his brother remained silent. "What happened to your human?"**

**"Feh. None of your business. You still haven't answered my question. Why the hell are you here?"**

**Sesshoumaru stayed calm and collected, as he always had. "There is some unfinished business I need to tend to." He unsheathed his mighty length of a sword.**

**Taking that as a challenge, InuYasha pulled out Tetsusaiga from the ground and held it in front of him into a battle stance. "Bring it on!"**

**In moments, the battle had started. You could see nothing but blurs moving back and forth in the clearing and you could hear nothing but the wind and InuYasha's curses. He tried to blow punches at Sesshoumaru, but he dodged them all like they were nothing.**

**A bead of sweat appeared on InuYasha's forehead. _Damn him... Why did he always have to be this strong?_**

**END OF CHAPTER**

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**Note: Sorry for not updating. Arg! It's getting crazy! I'll have to leave it here. I probably won't write much for the next few weeks, because of grad. And it's summer! I'll be outside more and everything. But today's Saturday, so we'll see... Please review and thanks for the reviews! Mwa!**


	13. I Want You Back, Ayame

**Note: Eek! I haven't been updating for a while! For those of you that actually want to know why, it's because I've been on a Do As Infinity craze lately. I still am. Lol! I'm so excited! I'm getting a CD! I think I told that to practically the whole world by now. Lol! Thanks for the reviews all! Oh yeah, and from the last chapter... Omygosh! I said "blow punches!" XD! Sorry! I meant "throw punches!" Lol gosh I mess up. Here's the thirteenth chapter!**

**In The Previous Chapter: Koga came and started bringing Kagome back to his den for their wedding. But they were interrupted by the appearance of Sesshoumaru, who starts a battle with InuYasha. Dun dun dun! What will happen next?**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 13: I WANT YOU BACK, AYAME **

**The battle raged on, getting more and more intense with every attack each made. Sesshoumaru was apparently winning, though. InuYasha's red haori was soaked in blood.**

**Ayame gasped at the sight. InuYasha was getting hurt! She threw her leaves at Sesshoumaru (lol the ones she uses for her attacks XD), who noticed it out of the corner of his eye. In an instant, he jumped up and dodged them, leaving Ayame wide-eyed and marvelling at his speed.**

**"Ayame! Don't interfere!" InuYasha yelled. "This is my battle!"**

**"But... you..."**

**"No buts! Promise you'll do nothing but watch!"**

**Ayame hesitated. She didn't like seeing him like this, losing a battle with someone who's obviously stronger than him. Why did he seem so stupid sometimes? But she nodded and stepped back.**

**While InuYasha was distracted, Sesshoumaru took the chance to strike the Toukijin right through his brother's chest. InuYasha screamed in pain. Ayame covered her eyes. Sesshoumaru touched the blood that was at the tip of his sword and smirked. "My victory." And with that, he disappeared along with Ah-Un, Jaken, and Rin.**

**Ayame ran up to InuYasha, who was down on the ground, clutching his chest. "Are you alright?" she asked, lifting him up and shifting his weight onto her so they could walk to a nearby stream together.**

**InuYasha closed his eyes. "Yeah... I'll be okay..."**

**Tears were visible in Ayame's eyes. "Why, InuYasha? Why did you fight with him? You know he's much stronger than you! It was obvious that you would lose!" Realizing that she just said the wrong thing, she stopped talking and just walked.**

**"He's my worst enemy, aside from Naraku. I have to fight him." They arrived at the stream. He lay down as Ayame opened up his haori.**

**"InuYasha?"**

**"Yeah?"**

**"I just thought of something..."**

**"What is it?"**

**Ayame hung her head sadly. "If I didn't attack the guy, you wouldn't have gotten this huge wound..." Her finger ran over the bloody hole in his chest.**

**InuYasha's eyes softened as he looked at the sad girl. "Don't worry. It happens all the time. Don't think about it."**

**"Are you sure none of it was my fault?"**

**InuYasha managed to reach out and touch her cheek. "Yeah." For a minute, they gazed into each other's eyes. It was like they were in their own world.**

**"InuYasha! Ayame!" They both snapped back to reality to the sound of Miroku's voice. He and Sango and Shippou burst out of nowhere and sat next to Ayame, who quickly began cleaning InuYasha's wound.**

**"Is he okay?" Shippou asked.**

**Ayame nodded. She couldn't take her eyes off InuYasha's bare chest. Neither could she say anything. At that same moment, Koga and Kagome appeared.**

**"Is it serious?" Sango asked.**

**"No," Ayame replied. "I don't think it is. InuYasha's strong. He'll heal fast."**

**"Ayame?" InuYasha mumbled, barely opening his eyes from the pain.**

**"Don't talk. You need to rest."**

**"Thanks..." InuYasha said, managing a warm smile. Ayame smiled back. Secretly, Sango and Miroku were sending signals at each other.**

**Kagome felt her stomach tighten. She needed to get away. "I need to go home now," she said, walking swiftly away. "I've got a test to study for." She broke into a sprint, disappearing into the distance.**

**Sango stood up. "Miroku and I have some stuff do. Ayame, you stay here with InuYasha and care for his wound."**

**"Alone." Miroku winked and followed Sango with Shippou.**

**Ayame chuckled. "Why do they always have to be like that?"**

**"Like what?" InuYasha asked.**

**"Acting like they always want us alone together!"**

**InuYasha laughed. He touched a strand of Ayame's hair that was hanging down. "They know everything." He closed his eyes once again and thought. Ever since Ayame came to the Inu-tachi, things had been so different. His love for Kagome vanished, along with his stupid hatred for Koga. He had also done a lot of growing up.**

**Ayame silently kept cleaning his wound. Then, she realized there was no bandage. She stood up. "InuYasha, I'm going to go get a bandage. Stay here, okay? Don't move an inch."**

**Koga, who was watching the whole time, stood up. "I'll go with her."**

**Ayame looked away uncomfortably, like she didn't want him with her. But she ignored it and let Koga go with her.**

**There was an awkward silence as they walked together. It was quite a distance to their camping ground. It would take a few minutes. To Ayame, that was a long time.**

**Koga broke the silence. "The mutt changed since I last saw him," he observed.**

**"Yeah? How so?"**

**Koga thought for a minute. "Last time we met, we were fighting for Kagome. He was in love with her. But now, he doesn't even care. He's more..." He was looking for the right word to say. "...interested in protecting you. He's less childish, too. He's grown up."**

**Ayame nodded. "I see."**

**"Has something been going on?"**

**"It's none of your business, Koga..." Ayame started to say.**

**"Okay! Okay! I'll shut up!" Koga interrupted her. He was being such a hothead.**

**

* * *

****Ayame and Koga were back at the spot where InuYasha lay. They had gotten the bandages already. InuYasha was fast asleep as Ayame bandaged him up and Koga watched.**

**_Not only has InuYasha changed, but so has Ayame._ Koga thought. _She used to be so in love with me. But now, it's all about the dog. She seems to care about him so much. In such a short period of time, it seems that they've fallen for each other._ He kept watching Ayame as she bandaged. He was specifically looking at her features. Whenever she was with InuYasha, they were so... soft.**

**Ayame had finished bandaging. She ran her finger through the cloth and smiled. She kissed the sleeping hanyou's cheek and stood up. "Let's go, Koga."**

**"Where to?" _She wasn't going to leave InuYasha here alone, was she?_**

**"I need to get some food for when he wakes up." She headed back to camp.**

**Koga nodded, and for some reason, at the sound of her voice, he blushed.**

**END OF CHAPTER**

* * *

**Note: Uh oh! I sense trouble! Lol! Thanks again for the reviews, guys! X3! I can't say that enough! Please review and remember... Do As Infinity rawks! Lol!**


	14. Surprises

**Note: Wow! Thanks sooooo much for the reviews! I can't stop telling you all how much I appreciate it! Hehe! I'm so sorry for not updating at my usual pace... I've been busy doing things for the past few weeks. But I've finally taken a break so I can sit and write the fourteenth chapter of the fic! Yay! Here we go!**

**In The Previous Chapter: Losing a battle with Sesshoumaru, InuYasha is being taken care of by Ayame. Kagome ran away to her era. Koga falls in love with Ayame. Bastard two-timer. Lol!**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 14: SURPRISES**

**"Eat up," Ayame whispered softly as she raised some food up to InuYasha's lips. He only had enough strength to sit up. She helped by feeding him. Koga watched nearby, never taking his eyes off Ayame.**

**"Thanks," InuYasha murmured gratefully as he sank back down on the grass.**

**_InuYasha has matured so much since Ayame came along,_ Koga thought. _Before, he would never thank Kagome or be grateful to Kagome like that. Speaking of Kagome, I wonder where she went..._**

**

* * *

****Kagome was almost at the Bone Eater's Well. Just a few more steps... There was a figure of a lady blocking her way.**

**"Kikyo!" her eyes shot open. "What are you doing here?"**

**Kikyo's voice was unfeeling. "I have observed you all from afar. I notice there is a new one in your group named Ayame. And she seems to be falling in love with InuYasha."**

**Kagome nodded, wiping her tear-stained face. "InuYasha loves her too."**

**"I know. What are you going to do about it?"**

**Kagome tried to walk past Kikyo and avoid answering the question. "Sorry, but I really need to get somewhere..." She jumped down the well before Kikyo could do anything else.**

**

* * *

****Kagome slowly opened her shrine door. Sunlight streamed through. She had forgotten that she really did have a test to study for. She was just making it all up then as an excuse not to see InuYasha and Ayame.**

**_Everyone seems to approve of her so much. Even Sesshoumaru. It seemed like he wanted InuYasha to be with Ayame more, not me._ She opened the door to her house. "I'm home," she said glumly.**

**"Kagome! Your friend is here!" her grandfather exclaimed.**

**Hojo was sitting down on a lounge chair in front of her grandfather. "Hey, I thought you said Kagome was upstairs sleeping. How did she go through the front door?"**

**Grandfather Higurashi scratched his head nervously. "Oh, well... uh... Kagome! Would you show Hojo around your room and ask for his notes? I need to prepare dinner!"**

**Kagome nodded and they headed upstairs. She closed the bedroom door behind her. (Don't think wrong now! Lol!) "So, Hojo, will you give me the notes I need to catch up for the test tomorrow?"**

**"Sure." Hojo searched around in his backpack for a moment, and pulled out a thick notebook. "Here you go." He handed it to her.**

**"Thanks," Kagome took it.**

**Hojo's face turned serious. "You know, Kagome, if you ever need help with anything, I'm here." He leaned over to kiss her. Kagome, as dumbfounded as she was, couldn't think of anything else to do but to kiss him back. (and she's getting married, too!)**

**

* * *

****Night had fallen in the Sengoku Jidai. Koga was still staying with the Inu-tachis. No one seemed to be bothered by his presence, and most surprisingly, InuYasha wasn't. Ayame had moved InuYasha to their camp and lay him there to rest. She was still by his side, giving him food when he needed it.**

**InuYasha grunted as he struggled to get up. "Where are we?" he said weakly.**

**"We're in our tent."**

**InuYasha looked at the bowl of food that was next to Ayame. "Can I have some? I'm kinda hungry."**

**Ayame chuckled. "They're all for you, silly, you don't have to ask."**

**InuYasha smiled. _Having Ayame take care of me is better than having anyone else take care of me. She's so kind and caring. Not to mention she smells really nice._ He reached over to grab an apple from the bowl.**

**At that moment, Sango entered the hut. "Ayame, would you like to go to the hot springs with me? It's been a long day!"**

**"But InuYasha..." Ayame began.**

**"I can take care of myself," InuYasha assured her.**

**"Er... uh..." Ayame hesitated, not wanting to leave InuYasha alone at his time of need. _But a bath does sound really good right now. And InuYasha did say he could take care of himself._ "Okay, I'll go." She gave InuYasha a kiss on the cheek before standing up and heading for the door. "I'll be back soon, okay, InuYasha?"**

**InuYasha nodded.**

**Sango giggled as they ran off. "Ayame, you and InuYasha make a really good couple!" she exclaimed as she gripped Ayame's hand.**

**Ayame blushed. "Really?"**

**Sango nodded.**

**

* * *

****Koga, who was sitting in a corner of the hut the whole time, couldn't take his eyes off the sleeping InuYasha. _What's he got that I don't? Why did Ayame fall in love with him and not me?_ He scanned the room for a few seconds. There was a tiny knife lying beside the bowl of fruits.**

**He walked over to the knife and picked it up. Then, he looked over at InuYasha. _Hehehe... Perfect!_**

**

* * *

****"Ahh! The hot springs never fail to relax me, Sango!" Ayame sighed as she sank into the waters. Both girls closed their eyes, enjoying the hot waters. It was silent for a few minutes.**

**But just then, Miroku burst through the bushes. "Sango! Ayame!" he screamed in panic.**

**Sango's eyes widened. "You hentai!" she yelled. "Spying on us again!"**

**Miroku blushed as he noticed what he just saw. "Er..." He sweatdropped. "Sango! That's not it! I wasn't spying!"**

**"Then tell me why you just came through the bushes!"**

**"InuYasha's been hurt!" Miroku panicked. "C'mon!" He ran off to the direction of the hut as the girls scrambled to put their clothes on. Then, they followed Miroku.**

**

* * *

****Ayame gasped as she entered the tent. InuYasha was standing up, gripping his wound. He was growling at Koga, who held a knife in his hand. Ayame ran up to InuYasha. "Are you alright? Lie down! You should be resting, remember?"**

**"What happened here, InuYasha?" Sango asked, startled at the sight. Koga and InuYasha only fought over Kagome. But now InuYasha was over Kagome, and Koga knew that. So why were they still fighting?**

**InuYasha bared his fangs at Koga. "This bastard drove a knife through my chest!"**

**

* * *

****Kagome broke off the kiss as soon as she realized what she was doing. "No, Hojo!"**

**"Uh... why, Kagome? I thought you... huh?" Hojo was startled.**

**"Just go away! Go!" Kagome yelled as Hojo ran as fast as he could. As soon as he was gone, Kagome plopped down on her bed and sighed heavily. "Ugh... I can't believe what I was just doing." She closed her eyes tightly and soon fell asleep.**

**

* * *

****Ayame looked at Koga, who held the bloody knife in his hand. "Why did you do it? Just a few hours ago, you were helping me take care of InuYasha!"**

**Koga glared at InuYasha and Ayame. He couldn't stand it. It was just as bad as InuYasha being with Kagome. "Ayame..."**

**"What?" Ayame was getting that feeling of unease again.**

**"I love you."**

**The words seemed to come down on the poor demoness as her eyes widened. "You... what?"**

**"I said it already..." Koga dropped the knife and looked down. "I want you to be mine."**

**InuYasha hissed dangerously. "Well, she can't be yours! Besides, I thought you were getting married to Kagome!"**

**Koga's eyes turned from angry to soft. But no one could see as his head was still down. "I... was watching Ayame taking care of you. It was a side of her I'd never seen before. She was so... caring. Unlike the annoying, spoiled brat she was to me."**

**InuYasha balled his fists. "Bastard..." He put his arm around Ayame's waist and pulled her closer to him. "You were the one who broke her heart in the beginning! The reason she's with me is because you didn't care about her! Now you want her back? Now? You are such a selfish, heartless..."**

**"I know." Koga said silently. "I regret it."**

**"You didn't have to stab InuYasha!" Ayame finally figured out what to say.**

**"I had to! He was taking you away, Ayame! You were supposed to be my mate! We were supposed to be running off to the mountains and getting married right now!"**

**"Supposed to?" Ayame asked him angrily. "Yes, we were! But you were the one who decided to marry Kagome and completely ignore me! You broke my heart! Now I'm going to ignore you and forget about you!"**

**"You deserve it, scum!" InuYasha snapped.**

**"Go away! Leave me alone!" Ayame yelled as InuYasha held her into a tight embrace. "InuYasha..." was all she could say. Tears were running down her cheeks.**

**InuYasha looked down at the crying girl sadly. He rubbed her back gently. "It's okay. I'm here," he whispered soothingly.**

**"Oh, InuYasha..." Ayame couldn't think of anything else to say. "I love you..."**

**"I know." They were still hugging. "I know."**

**END OF CHAPTER**

* * *

**Note: Err... Yeah... XD! Hahaha, stupid Koga! I don't know why I find this funny, but I do! And... wow, Kagome actually rejected someone! Big surprise to all those Kagome haters. Next chapter coming up... soon... or later. Not sure, but there will be one, I promise! Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	15. Kagome's Discovery

**Note: Omigod! I haven't been updating for the longest time! I've been getting so excited over other stuff, considering I'm gonna be moving on to high school in a couple of months and it's summer vacation. But, as promised, here is the new chapter. I'm listening to my Do As Infinity CD as I write. (winks)**

**In The Previous Chapter: Koga drove a knife through InuYasha's chest in an attempt to kill him and claim Ayame. Kagome is asleep in her era after rejecting Hojo and kicking him out of the house. Koga ran away and Ayame is crying. The hatred between InuYasha and Koga are back!**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
CHAPTER 15: KAGOME'S DISCOVERY**

**Sango sighed as she sat down on the grass next to Miroku and Shippou. She was gently petting Kirara, who was settled on her lap. She looked up at the sky. "I wonder where Kagome is."**

**"I think she's been severely heartbroken about InuYasha and Ayame," Miroku hypothesized. "I saw her face right before she ran home."**

**"Me too," Shippou added. "She looked really sad when she saw Ayame that close to InuYasha."**

**"Shippou, I really don't think this is something for you to talk about with us." Sango put in, disappointing the young kitsune. "It's very mature business and you're just a little child." She watched as Shippou bowed his head in shame and ran off to play with Kirara.**

**At that same moment, Kagome approached. "I'm back," she said silently as Sango and Miroku turned their heads to see the devastated girl. "I need to tell you something, Sango." She motioned for the taijiya to come with her. Sango got up and followed.**

**Once they were in a quiet spot, Kagome leaned on a tree and sighed heavily. "This is about InuYasha..." she began. "I know he's happy with Ayame. But... well, what happened to me? It's like he suddenly ignored me and went for someone else."**

**Sango didn't want to tell the girl what she did to make InuYasha this way. "Well, do you remember when you accepted Koga's proposal of marriage? InuYasha was very hurt at that! He never thought you would ever do that, never. But, that's only what I think. You should talk to him and see for yourself why he's rejected you so many times."**

**Before Kagome could say or do anything, they both heard the sounds of a fight.**

**Sango's eyes widened. _This sounds a lot like InuYasha and Koga fighting! If she finds out that Koga is now in love with Ayame, she'll be even more heartbroken, seeing as she has no one left!_ She turned to look at the confused Kagome. "Why don't you stay here and relax? I'll go see what's going on." She grabbed her hiraikotsu and swiftly headed for the direction of the fight.**

**When she arrived, she stopped short in her tracks. _It's worse than I thought! They're felling even more trees than they ever had!_ She looked around, and was surprised that Ayame was not there. In fact, no one but her was here. Determined to stop the madness, she threw her hiraikotsu at the spot where they were about to meet and attack.**

**InuYasha bumped into the boomerang and fell, rubbing his nose. "What the hell! Sango! How did you get here?"**

**"Look! Kagome's back! I don't want her to know that you guys are fighting over Ayame! She'll be really heartbroken that even her fiance has stopped loving her!" Sango yelled. "Why must you guys be so stubborn!"**

**Koga spat at the ground and looked away. "Kagome's useless. Ayame is much better to have as a wife."**

**Sango sighed. There was no point. Neither of them will listen. _What made Koga change his mind so much about Kagome? Was it because he just wanted competition with InuYasha once again?_**

**"Sango, whatis going on here?" Sango gasped, eyes widening, as she turned around to see a confused Kagome skipping towards them. "Are InuYasha and Koga fighting again?" Her eyes brightened slightly at the hope that InuYasha wanted her back and that he was fighting Koga for her.**

**Sango mentally panicked. She had to make up something, but nothing was coming in her head.**

**"Well?" Kagome said impatiently, crossing her arms as she waited for her friend's answer.**

**"They're fighting because InuYasha stole Koga's ramen!" Sango blurted out as fast as she could. _It was the only thing I could think of..._**

**"Ramen?" Kagome was puzzled and looked at InuYasha and Koga, who were sitting down and growling at each other. "Well, okay." She turned and walked slowly away. _Well, it looks like they weren't fighting for me after all..._**

**As quietly as she could, Sango sighed in relief.**

**

* * *

****Ayame was sitting down on the grass, thinking. She had nothing else to do since Kagome was back and ready to take over the cooking. The sun was setting. _How beautiful... Up here, it's so beautiful. Shobu and I never used to enjoy stuff like this together._**

**"Ayame?" a voice came from behind her.**

**"Hi, InuYasha. Come sit with me." Ayame invited him. So he sat.**

**"What are you going to do about Koga's feelings for you?" he asked in a concerned tone. "You know, sooner or later, he will kidnap you like he did Kagome and... considering you used to be in love with him..."**

**Ayame smiled at the stammering hanyou. He was obviously embarassed about what he was saying. "Don't worry, InuYasha. I'll always be with you," she assured him, putting her hand on his.**

**InuYasha smiled back at her. "Good. Cuz that's how I want things to stay." With that, he leaned over to kiss her. Ayame accepted his invitation. He wrapped one arm around her waist and let his free hand run through her soft auburn hair and down to her back.**

**

* * *

****A few hours later, InuYasha and Ayame were lying down on the grass together, looking at the stars. The sun had now set.**

**"Maybe we should go and see if dinner's ready," Ayame said, starting to sit up. She watched as InuYasha nodded hungrily and leaped back to camp. She smiled. _InuYasha..._**

**She stood up and dusted herself off, preparing to follow him, but she was stopped. "Koga, what are you doing here?"**

**Koga's eyes were softer than usual. "Ayame, look, if you give me a chance..." Koga began, but paused in an attempt to think of more things to say.**

**Ayame stood there impatiently. "I'm not going to ask this again. What are you doing here?"**

**He put his hand on her shoulder as she looked at it disgustingly. "Look, I am really sorry for everything I made you go through. I'm sorry about leaving you and saying harsh things to you. But remember how we were supposed to be married right now, and the times we had together..."**

**"What times?"**

**"Well, the lunar rainbow! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"**

**Ayame pushed his hand off her shoulder and returned his soft gaze with a cold glare. "It did. But I see you found happiness with Kagome. I'm not going to stand in your way. If you really love me now, that's too bad for you. I've moved on."**

**During the same time as their conversation, Kagome was heading up to them to tell them dinner was ready. But seeing that her 'fiance' and her ex-friend were talking, she decided to hide in the bushes and see what was going on.**

**"I love you, Ayame," Koga continued. "Didn't you always say to stick to your own kind anyway? We can make a life together! We can rebuild your lost tribe and everything will be alright!"**

**"Oh, so now you want me!" Ayame yelled, not able to take it anymore. "Now? After all the pain you made me feel? After all the jealousy? I can't believe you! You..."**

**She was interrupted by a sound in the bushes and the sounds of someone running away, crying. Ayame turned her head. "Isn't that Kagome?"**

**"I think so." Koga replied.**

**"Now look what you've done! You've broken another heart!" Ayame ran after the girl. Hopefully I can explain and we can still come out of this as friends... Not like we still are right now.**

**Ayame stopped when she saw Kagome crying on Sango's shoulder in the tent. She decided to hide outside and listen.**

**"Koga loves her too, Sango," Kagome sobbed. "Now I regret ever bringing her into the Inu-tachi! She's done nothing but cause trouble! She's... she's... a bitch!" She sobbed even harder once she realized what she said. "Ugh, I'm such an evil person..."**

**"I'm sure Ayame didn't mean to bring this much trouble, Kagome..." Sango tried to assure her friend that everything was okay.**

**Ayame was shocked. _I caused Kagome to be this heartbroken? If only she would've told me this before! Even Sango thinks I've caused trouble..._**

**"She already stole InuYasha from me..." Kagome continued tearfully. "I need him, Sango! I need him!" she wailed desperately.**

**Ayame couldn't help but feel guilty at this. _And to think Kagome never told me... She needed InuYasha that much?_**

**END OF CHAPTER **

* * *

**Note: Umm.. sorry if this is a bit short. I have a bit of writer's block but hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon. Or something. Once again, I'm really sorry for the extremely late update and thanks for the reviews! If it wasn't for you guys reviewing, I swear I would've stopped this story by now!**


	16. Goodbye, Ayame!

**Note: Here it is, guys, as promised! The sixteenth chapter! Enjoy! **

**In The Previous Chapter: Ayame overheard Kagome telling Sango about all the trouble Ayame has caused since she was invited into the group.**

**JUST SOMEONE TO HOLD  
****CHAPTER 16: GOODBYE, AYAME!**

**Even when the lights were turned off and they all had to go to bed, Ayame couldn't stop thinking about what she had heard Kagome talk about earlier. _I really did make her suffer. And she never told me about it. Now I feel so bad..._**

**She looked over at Kagome, who was struggling to go to sleep. "You awake, Kagome-chan?" she asked as the girl slightly stirred. Ayame didn't talk for a few moments. _I can understand why she's not talking to me._ "Look, I know I 'stole' Koga from you, in a way. I'm really sorry. It's not like I meant to do that for revenge or anything. And I definitely didn't want to make it seem like I stole InuYasha from you."**

**"Whatever..." Kagome mumbled under her covers.**

**"Well..." Ayame couldn't think of anything else to say. Kagome didn't want to listen to her. "At least now you know. Good night."**

**

* * *

****"Where's Ayame?" Sango asked, concerned. "I haven't seen her since breakfast."**

**Miroku nodded. "Neither have I. But I spoke to her before that and she said something about needing some time alone to think by herself for a little while. Maybe someone should go get her now."**

**InuYasha opened his once closed eyes. "I'll go get her." He stood up and walked off.**

**

* * *

****Ayame sighed as she looked up at the sky. _Having some time for myself wasn't such a bad idea._**

**"Hey," a voice from behind her said. She turned around to see it was none other than InuYasha.**

**"Hey," she replied with a smile as he sat down next to her.**

**"Whatcha doin?" he asked.**

**"Oh, nothing," she answered. They were both silent for a while. "InuYasha, I need to talk to you about something."**

**"Okay, what is it?"**

**"Lately, Kagome can't take what's going on here. What I mean is... she wants you back. Badly. And I guess she wants Koga, too."**

**"Your point is?" InuYasha raised one eyebrow. _Just what is she getting into?_**

**Ayame sighed heavily. "She wants me out of the group."**

**"Feh! Kagome's not like that!" he scoffed.**

**"Well, I think she is... I mean, I heard her talking about it to Sango last night..."**

**She was interrupted by InuYasha. "What? Why would Kagome even think that?"**

**"She's really mad at me. She saw Koga talking to me. I tried to brush him off, but I guess she thought it looked like I stole him away from her too. And now she's talking about how I kind of took her away from you and..." She paused for a moment to look at the shocked InuYasha. "Well, she's really heartbroken."**

**InuYasha put his hand on Ayame's cheek. "You didn't steal me away from Kagome. It wasn't your fault. Kagome was the one who deliberately made us both suffer in the beginning."**

**"But she's my friend, no matter what she thinks about me now... I think I just thought of something that would make her happy." Ayame hesitated for a moment to tell him. _InuYasha would never let me do this._ "I... I gotta leave you."**

**InuYasha's eyes widened, just as Ayame thought. "What! No! Don't do that just because one person doesn't want us to be together!"**

**Tears began to well up in Ayame's eyes. "I'll come back one day, when everything is good. For now, I don't think it's okay for us to stay together right now."**

**"This is ridiculous, Ayame!" InuYasha turned around and crossed his arms. "I won't let you go! This is just stupid!"**

**"No, it's not. You can't tell me what to do now!" Ayame stood up and walked away.**

**InuYasha's ears perked up. _She really is leaving._ He stood up and ran to Ayame. He put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around. "You promise you'll write?"**

**Ayame smiled softly at him. "Okay, I will." She took both InuYasha's hands and held them. Then, she leaned up to kiss him. "I promise." They were both silent as InuYasha held her tightly in his arms. "And before I forget, there's something I want you to promise, too."**

**"What is it?"**

**"Once you go back, I want you to protect Kagome and be with her. Okay?"**

**InuYasha sweatdropped. "But... I thought you were coming back!"**

**Ayame chuckled. "Yeah, I am. But just make her happy while I'm gone."**

**"This is so dumb. I can't be with anyone else but you!"**

**Ayame put her arms around his neck. "Will you do it for me? Please?"**

**"Well..." InuYasha couldn't help it._ If it's for her..._ "Fine. Happy?"**

**Ayame gave him a tight squeeze. "Thanks. I promise I'll write to you and I'll come back one day." They stayed like that for a few minutes. "I love you, InuYasha."**

**InuYasha held her. "I love you, too." He smiled softly. She smelled just as great as she did the moment they met. _I'm gonna miss her scent. And her._**

**

* * *

****"I'm back," InuYasha said as he walked back in the hut.**

**"Where's Ayame?" Miroku asked.**

**"She's..." InuYasha paused. _I can't believe I'm saying this without breaking down and crying._ "She's gone."**

**Kagome gasped. "Sango! Did you hear that! She's not coming back!"**

**InuYasha looked at Kagome, who was now celebrating. He couldn't help but have a look of hurt pass his face. _No one else seems to be happy about Ayame leaving... Kagome says I changed a lot, but it's really her who's changed. She's gone bitter and self-centered. If Ayame didn't tell me to be with this girl, I would've high-tailed right away to go follow her. Kagome's just not the same person I knew anymore. She's not._**

**

* * *

****Dear InuYasha,**

**It's been over two years since I left. I'm so sorry I took so long to write. It's just that I finally got a chance to rebuild my tribe. It took a lot of hard work and patience. No, don't worry, I didn't have to marry anyone in the process. I'm the queen of the new White Coat Wolf Tribe of the Northern Mountains.**

**Times have been so crazy! It's been both bad and good along the way. I hope you understand the reason why I haven't written for so long. Oh, and besides being the queen, I'm also the leader in the wars. We've had a lot for the past few months, but everything's okay now. Our tribe is at peace. We've won all the battles.**

**So how is your search for Naraku? I would go look for him with all of you, but you know I'm extremely busy. How is everyone else? How's your relationship with Kagome going? What about Sango? Is she spending more time with Miroku nowadays? And I'd love to hear some news about Shippou! Is he all matured from being the cute little kitsune he is? And Kirara! You can't forget little Kirara! I hope she's gotten into a much stronger demon since I left.**

**Please write back to me and tell me how you guys are doing. I would love to hear it all. I miss all of you very much, especially you, InuYasha. Never forget that I still love you. Although it's kind of hard for me to come back there right now, you're welcome to visit my tribe. It's at the exact same place as my old one. Please come visit. All of you. I will give you all a great feast and great beds, I promise!**

**Well, I guess this is the end of the letter. Don't forget me. I've never forgotten you. I'm really sorry if you expected a longer letter, because I'm really tired right now and I need to go to bed. I would continue in the morning, but I'm afraid I have more business to do. This is it. Goodbye, and again, don't forget to drop by and visit!**

**Love,  
****Ayame**

**THE END!**

**

* * *

****Note: This probably was the chapter some of you had in mind. I doubt you're all in tears right now! Lol! Well, this is the end of the story! Wait! Is it? Hmm, that's something you all have to figure out yourself. There _might_ be a sequel coming up soon. Just wait patiently. (winks)**


End file.
